


Showmance

by SeeTheVision



Series: Break A Leg(Not My Heart) [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Theatre, And im not following the plot exactly, But you dont have to have read that to understand, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, M/M, Matchmaking, POV Alternating, Red Velvet Ensemble - Freeform, References to Shakespeare, Slow Burn, The theatre kid AU nobody asked for, Theatre Kids, inspired by Much ado about nothing, some characters are aged down, some characters are aged up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2020-05-19 08:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 42,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19352914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeeTheVision/pseuds/SeeTheVision
Summary: When Donghyuck is cast as Beatrice in his school’s production of Shakepeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, nothing could ruin his excitement- nothing except that his love interest will be portrayed by none other than his least favorite person in the theatre department: Mark LeeMark Lee loves performing. He loves Shakespeare. He loves the thrill of being on stage. He does NOT love having to ‘fall in love’ with the most annoying person he knows- even if it is just an act.Long tech rehearsals are a relief to Jeno. They give him somewhere to be on weekends other than his dad’s house, and he’d much rather be hauling around a heavy set piece than the weight of his own secrets.Jaemin wants two things from this school year: 1. He wants Mark and Donghyuck to settle whatever the hell is going on between them and leave him in peace, and 2. He wants to finally ask that hot stage crew boy on a date.(The theatre kid AU nobody asked for, based on/inspired by William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing)





	1. A Skirmish of Wit

**Author's Note:**

> okay just a couple things to start  
> 1\. this is kinda set in America, just because that's where I went to school and I'm basing this on the theatre program at my high school so yeah  
> 2\. some characters are teachers, some are seniors, juniors, and sophomores. I don't think it'll get confusing but just so ya know

_You must not, sir, mistake my niece. There is a_    
 _kind of merry war betwixt_ _Signior_ _Benedick and her:_    
 _they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit_    
 _between them._  

 _(Much Ado About Nothing, Act I Scene I)_  

Donghyuck was glowing with triumph. No matter how many times he went through the process– auditions, casting, rehearsals, performance– nothing ever beat the thrill of seeing his own name on a cast list. There he was, in black and white, near the top of the sheet of paper taped to the auditorium door on the long-awaited Thursday in September.

 **Beatrice:** **Donghyuck** **Lee**  

He had, of course, been elated at the idea of gender-blind casting of his school’s production of Shakespeare’s  _Much Ado About Nothing._ Some had been hesitant at first, but the theatre teacher Mr. Kim– or Doyoung as all his students except the shyest freshmen called him– had even convinced the principal, by explaining that all roles were played by men in Shakespeare’s day, so it would be an “authentic educational experience.” 

Since first reading the play, Donghyuck had related to Beatrice on an almost spiritual level. They were both loudmouthed and sassy. They both refused to conform to what society expected of them. Seeing his name on that list was a dream come true. Nothing could put a damper on his excitement. Nothing except–

“Oh, God, no,” Donghyuck groaned running a hand through his honey-blonde hair. He snapped a photo of the list with his phone before allowing himself to be pushed to the side by the crowd of people jostling to read the casting. Some students were congratulating each other, others comforting friends who hadn’t made the cut. Donghyuck ignored them all and made a beeline for the double doors at the front of the school, his mind reeling, because right below his own name had been listed: 

**Benedick: Mark Lee**

Mark Lee. The theatre department’s golden boy. Donghyuck himself wasn’t exactly a nobody– his unique voice and sharp dancing skills landed him some pretty lofty roles in the spring musicals– but _nobody_ does Shakespeare like Mark Lee. His monologue won second place at state competition last year, as a sophomore no less. He was talented, friendly, and hardworking. 

Donghyuck hated him 

  **lesbian thespians**

 **Hyuck:**  

I have good news and bad news 

**Dolphin:**

OMG HYUCK CONGRATS ON GETTING BEATRICE IM SO PROUD 

 **Hyuck:**  

thanks chenle, congrats on getting balthazar 

that would be the good news 

**Mochi:**

omg congrats 

**Nojam:**

so what’s the bad news? 

**Hyuck:**

guess who’s playing benedick? 

**yangx2 :**

huh? 

OH 

**Nojam:**

wait who is it 

**yangx2 :**

mark lee 

**Mochi:**

shoot I had my bets placed on him as claudio 

 **Nojam:**  

really? I thought he’d be don pedro for sure 

 **Hyuck:**  

u r all missing the important thing here 

my literal arch nemesis  

Is my love interest 

hidkgbkiujrf 

 **Mochi:**  

stop being so dramatic 

mark is nice 

 **Nojam:**  

Idk why you hate him so much 

hes a great guy 

**Hyuck:**

no! 

hes rude and stuck up 

chenle back me up 

 **Dolphin:**  

Idk hyuck hes always nice to me 

ur really the only person he isnt nice to 

but thats probably only cuz ur mean to him 

**Mochi:**

oof 

rip in the chat 

 

 

Donghyuck flopped onto his bed, not even bothering to respond. His friends were not being helpful in the slightest. 

“Hey honey,” Donghyuck’s mom poked her head into his room. “Did the list go up today?” 

Donghyuck grinned. “Yeah. I’m Beatrice.” 

His mom came fully into his room, embracing him with a squeal. “Oh honey, I’m so happy for you! I know how much you wanted that role!” 

“Thanks, mom,” he mumbled into her shoulder. It’s moments like these that he realized how lucky he was to have such supportive parents. They had come to all of his shows and choir concerts, driven him to and from rehearsal before he got his own car, and encouraged him through every disappointment ever since he had discovered his passion for performing several years earlier.  

He’s going to make them proud with this performance, he decided. Even the thought of Mark Lee couldn’t stop the excitement building in his chest. 

 

 

Mark took a deep breath. This has to be done, he told himself, the sooner the better. Steeling himself, he entered the choir room. 

A few friends waved to him from different groups, all eating their lunch sprawled on the floor of Mr. Moon’s classroom. The teacher himself gave a cheery wave. All in all, it was a pretty welcoming atmosphere– except for the not-so-subtle glare directed at him by a boy across the room. 

Unfortunately, this was the boy who Mark had come to talk to. 

Donghyuck leaned against the far wall where he had been chatting with a couple other choir kids– Jaehyun and Dejun. His brown eyes narrowed, soft features sharpening with a look of undisguised dislike as he caught sight of Mark. Jaehyun and Dejun followed the look and immediately ended the conversation, not wanting to get involved in the drama students’... well, drama. 

“What do you want,” Donghyuck said as Mark approached. Mark forced himself not to react to the hostility. 

“I just wanted to congratulate you on getting Beatrice,” he said, attempting a smile. 

Donghyuck’s facial expression changed so quickly that Mark found it frankly disturbing. “Oh, thank you,” he smiled sweetly, eyes wide and innocent. “I think Benedick is the perfect role for you.” 

“Oh,” Mark started, “Thank–" 

“Because you sure have been a dick.” 

Mark snapped his mouth shut and returned Donghyuck’s satisfied smirk with a glare.  _I swear to god I cannot deal with this kid._  

 _“_ Look,” he tried again, forcing his voice into a tone that somewhat resembles friendly, “I know you don’t like me–” 

“What a profound observation!” 

Mark glared at the interruption, giving up on being friendly. “And I'm not particularly fond of you either.” 

“You wound me!” Donghyuck clutched his chest theatrically. 

“But,” Mark plowed on, determined to say what he came here to say, “we’re gonna be stuck together a lot so we may as well try to be civil.” 

Donghyuck looked unimpressed. “Are you done?” 

“Uh, yes?” 

“Cool. See you after school. Unfortunately.” Donghyuck turned away without a backwards glance. 

 

 

“So,” Renjun smirked at Mark’s slumped shoulders as he returned to where his friends were eating lunch, on the staircase outside the auditorium, “I take it Operation: Make A Truce With Donghyuck didn’t go so well?” 

Mark sighed, plopping down between Jaemin and Jungwoo. “He is so infuriating,” he complained, burying his hands in his dark hair. 

“I don’t get why you hate him so much,” Jaemin noted. “I like Hyuck.” 

“Everyone likes Hyuck,” Lucas piped up. “I don’t get why you don’t. All your friends are mutual, you have the same interests, so logically speaking you should be best friends by now.” 

Mark practically shuddered at the thought of spending any more time with Donghyuck than he already had to– which was a lot between their shared classes and all their after-school rehearsals. 

“I don’t care if you hate each other,” Taeyong interjected, finally looking up from his math homework, “But please don’t let it affect the production. I’m stage manager, you know, and I don’t want to see any bickering backstage.” 

“Yes, mom,” Mark replied, only partially joking. Taeyong really did act like a mom to all the performers and crew members under his care. 

“Oh!” Jaemin slapped Mark’s arm repeatedly, barely containing a squeal. “Look, there’s Jeno! God, he looks so good today.” 

Mark didn’t even bother to look up. Of course Jeno looked good; the black haired stage crew boy always looked good, and Jaemin never failed to point it out. 

“You are so whipped,” Renjun sighed.  

“You should ask him to the Halloween Dance.” Jungwoo’s soft suggestion elicited a squeak from Jaemin. 

“Oh my god, I could _never!”_  

 _“_ What ever happened to Confident Gay Jaemin?” Lucas teased. 

Renjun rolled his eyes. “The Halloween Dance is a month away, and it isn’t even a date event, remember?” 

Lucas, Jungwoo, and Jaemin all deflate at the reminder. “Oh, yeah.” 

“Oh!” Lucas exclaimed suddenly, “I forgot to congratulate you guys on your roles! Dogberry, Margaret, and Benedick, right?” He grinned broadly at his performer friends. 

Jungwoo blushed shyly, Jaemin flashed his bright smile, but Mark just sighed. 

“You guys are all gonna be on crew, right?” Jungwoo asked. 

Lucas bobbed his head vigourously. “Taeyong and I have already started designing the set, and Renjun is still deciding the color scheme." 

Renjun hummed in confirmation. “I’ll probably figure it out at the readthrough today.” 

“Will the whole crew be there?” Jaemin asked, feigning nonchalance. 

“Yes,” Taeyong responded tiredly, “Jeno will be there.” 

“That’s not what I asked,” Jaemin spluttered, but a smile crept onto his face. 

 


	2. Thine to Teach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck and Mark play Benedick and Beatrice in the show, and they mirror those characters in the story, but no one else does(so the person who plays Claudio isn’t the Claudio of the story if that makes sense?). If you’re familiar with Much Ado About Nothing, try to spot the parallels! If you’re not, just enjoy :P

_My love is thine to teach: teach it but how,_    
 _And thou shalt see how apt it is to learn_    
 _Any hard lesson that may do thee good._  

 _(Much Ado About Nothing, Act I Scene I)_  

 

Jaemin tried not to hurry to the auditorium on Friday afternoon, but he couldn’t help it; he was just as excited today as he had been yesterday when he saw his name on the cast list: 

 **Margaret: Jaemin Na**  

Jaemin hadn’t been doing theatre for as long as his friends– he had only started last year– and this would be his first speaking role. Not even Mark’s bad mood could bring him down. 

He pushed open the large auditorium door. Unsurprisingly, he was one of the first ones there. Jaemin greeted Taeyong as he passed the tech booth at the back of the auditorium, where the stage manager was turning on the lights. Taeyong slipped out of the booth and together they headed toward the stage, where the only other two people in the room were already settled crosslegged on the floor. Jaemin felt his heart jump into his throat as he realized one of the people was Jeno. 

“Hey guys,” Taeyong greeted good naturedly as he and Jaemin climbed onto the stage. 

“Hey TY!” Donghyuck responded enthusiastically, drawing Jaemin’s attention away from Jeno for the first time. “And Jaemin, congrats on getting Margaret!” 

“Thanks,” Jaemin grinned, settling himself on the floor with Donghyuck on his left and Taeyong on his right. He glanced quickly at Jeno, on the other side of Donghyuck, and found the other boy smiling at him, eyes crinkled into charming crescents. Jaemin looked away, hoping he wasn't blushing. 

“Hey, do you guys want to go get ice cream after the readthrough?” Donghyuck continued, paying no attention to Jaemin’s odd behavior. 

“I’m in,” Taeyong responded. 

“Sorry,” Jeno smiled apologetically, “it’s my dad’s weekend. I have to head straight there.” 

“Dang, that sucks,” Donghyuck said sympathetically. “What about you, Jaemin?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Jaemin replied, disappointed that Jeno wouldn’t be there but still excited by the prospect of ice cream. 

Other cast and crew members were starting to arrive. Jaemin spotted Mark and tried to wave him over, but Mark saw Donghyuck and chose a spot next to Wendy instead. Jaemin sighed. Why did those two hate each other so much anyway? 

By the time Doyoung arrived, the cast and crew were all sitting in a circle on the floor of the stage, scripts on their laps, pencils and highlighters in their hands. 

“Alright,” the young theatre teacher said, clapping his hands together, “Let’s begin, shall we?” 

 

 

One and a half hours and two acts later, Mark felt like his brain was going to melt out of his ears. He wasn’t the only one, judging from the sighs of relief when Doyoung announced that they were done for the day.  

“We’ll finish the readthrough on Monday,” the director said, “and then we can start blocking Act I at Wednesday's rehearsal.” 

Mark was the type of person to hang back and chat with his friends after rehearsal, but today pretty much everyone was going out for ice cream at Donghyuck’s invitation. Hendery had tried to convince him to come, but Mark refused. He would rather go straight home and start on his homework than spend any more time in the company of Donghyuck, even if it meant missing out on ice cream.  

Mark had stuffed his script and highlighter into his bag and was heading for the door when Doyoung’s voice stopped him. “Donghyuck, Mark, I need you two to stay back for a few minutes.” 

“I’ll meet you guys there,” Mark heard Donghyuck say, and soon the babble of voices died away as the cast and crew trickled out of the auditorium with an admonition from Taeyong to make sure the lights were out before they left. 

“So,” Doyoung began, settling himself cross legged on the floor across from his students, “let's have a chat about your characters, shall we?” 

This was one of the many things Mark loved about his theatre teacher: his casual way of communicating with his students. It never felt like talking to a teacher, because Mr. Kim seemed like a friend.  

“What about them?” Mark asked, puzzled.  

“There has always been debate in the theatre world concerning Benedick and Beatrice's relationship,” Doyoung explained, before asking, “What do you think? Are Benedick and Beatrice in love?” 

“No.” 

“Of course!” 

The two actors stared at each other, each shocked at the other's answer.  

“Are you kidding me?” Donghyuck broke the silence. “Did you even  _read_ the script?” 

Mark bristled. “Of course I did!” 

“Then I assume you remember in Act Five, Beatrice literally _t_ _elling_ Benedick that she didn't love him?”  

“Oh yeah? Well what about in act two When she tells Don Pedro that Benedick stole her heart?” 

“The words she used were ‘won’ and ‘false,’” Donghyuck retorted, “so even if she did love him once, she realized that it was a mistake.” 

“Why would it be a mistake?” Mark asked, completely derailed by Donghyuck’s interpretation. Since first reading the play, he never considered Benedick and Beatrice being anything other than in love.

“Because _he_ never loved _her,_ so eventually she gave up.” Mark was surprised to see something like pain in Donghyuck’s eyes, and he got the distinct impression that he wasn’t talking about Beatrice anymore. 

“But-” Mark’s words were cut off by Doyoung clearing his throat. Both boys turned back to their teacher with wide eyes, having momentarily forgotten that he was there. 

“Obviously you have very different opinions,” Doyoung said kindly, “but in order to give an honest performance, you two have to be united. You have to both be telling the same story.” He looked from Mark to Donghyuck. “You boys are both very talented, and you have strong chemistry–” 

Donghyuck couldn’t resist a snort, earning a glare from Mark and a sharp look from Doyoung. 

“Look,” the teacher said tiredly, “I know you guys don’t like each other.” They must have looked surprised, because he chuckled. "I do pay attention to my students, you know. However," he continued, "I need you to work together. You’re both very talented, and I’m confident that each of you will give a solid performance, but I expect more from both of you.”  

Doyoung stood up, brushing off his pants, and the two boys followed suit. “We’ll talk more a different day, but start thinking about it.” He left through the side door leading to the workshop, leaving Mark and Donghyuck alone. 

“Um,” Donghyuck broke the awkward silence, “I’d be happy to argue some more, but I have somewhere to be, so... See you around.” He moved quickly to the side door that lead into the hallway, opposite the one Doyoung had left through, and paused. “Don’t forget to turn out the lights,” he said simply, before he slipped through the door and was gone. 

 

 

Jaemin sighed dramatically for probably the hundredth time in the past fifteen minutes. The ice cream parlor was crowded and noisy. More than half of the cast and crew were here, but Jaemin was sitting by himself on stool by the counter, drowning his sorrows. Unfortunately, sorrows don’t drown very well in rootbeer floats. 

“Jaemin,” came a tired voice and Jaemin turned to see Taeyong slip into the seat next to him, “if you don’t ask that boy out then I will do it for you.” 

Jaemin plonked his head down on the counter and groaned in answer. 

The door of the shop jingled merrily and Donghyuck entered with his usual sunny smile, distracting Taeyong from continuing his lecture. “What’s up, losers,” Donghyuck said by way of greeting, before being immediately dragged off by Yangyang to a seat they had been saving for him. 

“Why does Mark hate him so much?” Jaemin asked, mostly to keep Taeyong from grilling him about his crush on Jeno, but also because he’d been wondering about it for a while. 

“I’m not sure,” Taeyong replied, his handsome features pulling into a slight frown. “They’ve been that way since their freshman year, so maybe they just got off on the wrong foot when they met.” 

“It’s really annoying,” Jaemin complained. “It sucks to be friends with both of them, it feels like a custody battle.” 

“Plus, if they were friends,” Taeyong smirked, “You’d probably spend a lot more time hanging around with Jeno.” 

“...shut up.” 

“Only if you promise to talk to him on Monday.” 

“Fine!” Jaemin took another sip of his rootbeer float, attempting nonchalance and failing miserably. Yes, he decided, he was going to talk to Jeno. Jaemin would woo that boy if it was the last thing he did. “It’s time for Confident Gay Jaemin to make a comeback.” 

 

 

“Yeah, I got here about twenty minutes ago,” Jeno said, flopping onto the bed that didn’t really feel like his own. Despite having spent every other weekend here since his parent’s divorce last year, Jeno still felt like a stranger in this house. “How was ice cream?” 

“Not as fun as it would have been if you’d been there,” Donghyuck pouted. Video calls with his best friend were part of the routine, and more often than not, they were the only thing that kept Jeno sane on these weekends.  

“What did Doyoung want to talk to you about?” Jeno propped his phone against his pillow and rested his head on his arms. 

Donghyuck groaned. “Character work, of course. I wouldn’t mind except Doyoung wants me and Mark to figure out our characters together.” 

“That makes sense,” Jeno reasoned. “Since your characters are counterparts.” 

“But Mark’s got it all wrong,” Donghyuck complained. “Would you believe he thinks Beatrice and Benedick actually _l_ _ove_ each other?” 

Jeno cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Don’t they? They get married at the end, right?” 

Donghyuck’s scandalized expression filled Jeno’s phone screen. “Are you serious, Jeno? Honestly, next you’ll be saying Claudio and Hero are really in love.” 

“Are they not?” 

Donghyuck gasped and launched into a speech about societal expectations, infatuation, and deception, which Jeno tuned out after the first few words. He was on stage crew, after all; analyzing Shakespeare wasn’t in his job description. 

Jeno rolled over to stare at the ceiling, letting Donghyuck’s voice wash over him, occasionally catching phrases like “perfectly content to marry Hero’s ‘cousin’” and “out of  _guilt,_ not _love._ ” 

“You aren’t even listening to me, are you?” Donghyuck snapped after about five minutes of ranting.  

“Nope,” Jeno replied honestly. 

Donghyuck sighed in exasperation as Jeno shot him a not-so-apologetic smile. “Enough about me,” he decided, “what do you think of the cast? Any cute boys catch your eye?” 

“ _Donghyuck,”_ Jeno hissed, “I am at my _dad’s_ house.” 

“Oh shoot,” Donghyuck lowered his voice hastily, “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” Jeno sighed. “He’s downstairs.” Still, Jeno hastily changed the subject and was content to let Donghyuck ramble about how Yangyang made Hendery laugh so hard that rootbeer float had come out his nose 

Jeno had a crush on Donghyuck freshman year. He figured pretty much every gay kid in at SM High had at some point, except maybe Taeyong, who had been dating that choir kid Jaehyun since before he met Donghyuck. Donghyuck was so bright, so confident, so unapologetic about who he was, he was like a beacon of hope for closet cases like Freshman Jeno. Jeno knew he was screwed the first time he saw Donghyuck, with his eyeliner and rainbow converse. Nothing ever happened, of course; the crush only lasted a couple months, and Jeno had a new best friend. 

Donghyuck had been Jeno’s pillar of support during the divorce last year. More than once, Jeno had showed up on his best friend’s doorstep, having climbed out his window to escape the sound of his parents fighting downstairs. Donghyuck let Jeno cry on his shoulder the day his dad moved out, and still insisted on calling Jeno every time he visited his estranged parent’s house.  

Donghyuck had even been there when Jeno came out to his mom, who had cried and told him she loved him no matter what, and to his friends, who pulled him into a group hug and said they already knew. 

“Was it a secret?” Jisung had asked, blankly.  

Maybe Donghyuck would be there when Jeno finally came out to his dad. _If_ he ever did. He knew it would probably spell the end of his relationship with his father, and while he didn’t particularly enjoy these weekend visits... Jeno didn’t think he was ready for that. 

Before Donghyuck ended the call, he said, “Text me if there’s anything you need, okay? You seem a little spacey.” Jeno promised he would.  

After the call disconnected, Jeno stared at the ceiling for a few more minutes before heading down to the unavoidably awkward affair of dinner with his father. Just a homophobic man, his secretly gay son, and some spaghetti. You know, the usual. 

 

 

 

Jeno knew Jaemin, of course. They had a lot of mutual friends, but since Jaemin usually hung out with Mark and Jeno was practically glued to Donghyuck, they didn’t interact as much as they could have. Jeno knew Jaemin was a great dancer with a bright smile. He knew he was close friends with Mark’s crowd, and friendly to everyone else. He knew he was passionate and somewhat clingy towards his close friends. 

Jeno also knew that Jaemin was a huge flirt, so it shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise when, before the start of Monday’s readthrough, he took a spot next to Jeno in the circle on the stage and shot him a dazzling smile.  

“Hey Jeno,” Jaemin said in an almost disturbingly sweet voice. 

Jeno blinked a few times before finally responding, “Hey.” 

Jaemin’s smile seemed to falter, but returned in full force a moment later. “We missed you on Friday. You’ll have to come with next time.” 

Jeno vaguely wondered who ‘we’ was, but he managed a smile. “Yeah, I wanted to come, but. You know. Stuff.” 

“Okay, scripts open to Act III please,” Doyoung announced, clapping his hands together. “The sooner we get through this, the sooner you can go home.” 

To Jeno’s surprise, Jaemin didn’t move to sit with his fellow actors. He remained where he was, pulling out his script and a pink highlighter. 

“So,” Jaemin lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, leaning closer to Jeno, “how long do you think it’ll take for Mark and Donghyuck to make out?” 

Jeno let out a surprised snort of laughter. “What? You know they hate each other, right?” 

“Exactly,” Jaemin smirked, lowering his voice even further so that Jeno had to lean closer. Jaemin’s breath tickled his ear and a slight shiver ran down Jeno’s spine. “Look at them. If that’s not sexual tension, I don’t know what is.” 

Jeno spotted Mark and Donghyuck glaring at each other from opposite sides of the circle. Looking from one face to the other, Jeno chuckled. “I’m just seeing the tension.” 

Jaemin leaned back on his palms, smiling knowingly, and quirked an eyebrow. “You’ll see,” he said cryptically, earning another laugh from Jeno. 

Sitting next to Jaemin certainly made the readthrough more interesting, Jeno had to admit. Every few lines the grinning boy would lean in to make some witty comment under his breath, looking proud every time Jeno had to stifle his laughter. And if Jeno laughed more than was necessary just to keep that pleased look on Jaemin’s face, then, well, that was nobody’s business. 

 

 **Taeyong's Children**  

**Moomin:**

do my eyes decieve me 

or 

is jaemin 

Actually talking 

to jeno?? 

**TYtrack:**

You shouldn’t be on your phone at rehearsal. 

**LuKiss:**

um ur on ur phone 

**Moomin:**

Idek why im here, I could sketch design ideas just as easily at home 

anyways the subject at hand 

**Snoopy:**

hey jaemin

@jaemin 

Nanaaaaaa 

**Nana:**

what do u hoes want 

**LuKiss:**

dont call Jungwoo a hoe :(

 **Snoopy** :  

get his number 

**Nana:**

what? 

No 

**LuKiss:**

Y??? 

**Nana:**

I talked to him isnt that enough for you? 

**TYtrack:**

you leave me no choice. 

**Nana:**

um? 

I feel threatened?? 

**Mork:**

wait what did I miss 

**LuKiss:**

no idea bro 

 

“I swear, I will _eat_ the next phone I see,” Doyoung said in a disturbingly calm voice. Jaemin refocused on Hendery and Irene, as Claudio and Don Pedro, who tried valiantly to to finish their scene without laughing at Doyoung’s outburst. 

By the time the readthrough was finished, it was nearly five o’clock. Jaemin barely had time to stuff his script into his bag before Taeyong had marched up to him and snatched the phone out of his hands. Ignoring Jaemin’s protests, Taeyong turned and thrust the device towards Jeno, who looked just as startled. 

“Would you be so kind as to input your number, please?” he asked, with a tone that made it clear that it was a demand not a request. 

Jaemin wanted nothing more at that moment than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. The next moment was even worse, because Jeno started laughing, his eyes curling into crescents, and he looked so beautiful that Jaemin just wanted to  _die._  

Jeno took the phone from Taeyong’s outstretched hand and created a contact, still chuckling, as Taeyong yanked a blushing Jaemin in front of him. Jeno shot himself a text from Jaemin’s phone before handing it to the flustered boy.  

“See you in English,” Jeno said, before grabbing his backpack, and just like that, he was gone. 

“Thank me later,” Taeyong smirked as he followed Jeno out, and Jaemin was left standing alone on the stage, face glowing like the setting sun, staring down at the new contact in his phone. 

**Jeno :)**

And if Jaemin added a heart emoji to the name then that was his business. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like Nomin because oh baby do I have things planned ;)


	3. In the Music

_The fault will be in the music if you be_   
_not wooed in good time_

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act II Scene I)_

 

Mr. Moon was definitely one of Donghyuck’s favorite teachers, right alongside Doyoung. The young choir director was soft-spoken, down to Earth, and surprisingly hilarious. He was encouraging, teaching in a way that made everyone eager to learn. He did his best to build a personal relationship with each member of his choirs, and he was loved for it. Donghyuck adored him. 

That was why, even though he had homework to do and lines to memorize, Donghyuck gave his all to preparing for the fall concert. He had a solo in one of the pieces, and he really didn’t want to let Mr. Moon down. Class periods were growing more stressful as the concert approached, and Donghyuck was trying not to let himself be discouraged. 

“Altos, up, everyone else, sit down and be quiet,” Mr. Moon said, voice mellow but authoritative. Donghyuck flopped into his seat. He, Dejun and Renjun reached in unison for their water bottles; the verse they had been working on for the past twenty minutes was ridiculously high for tenors. 

“Damn, I wish I was a bass,” Renjun lamented softly on Donghyuck’s left. 

“Same,” Dejun muttered. 

“How many basses does it take to screw in a lightbulb,” whispered Chenle, who had turned around in his seat from the row in front of them to join the conversation. 

“How many?” 

“None, they can’t reach that high.” 

All four boys snickered quietly. “I’ve got another one,” Donghyuck grinned. “How do you know a soprano is at your door?” 

“How?” 

“She can’t find the key and doesn’t know where to come in.”  

Chenle couldn’t contain a high-pitched peal of laughter, causing half the room to glance at him. 

“Apparently,” Mr. Moon said mildly, “The tenors would like a turn. Alto’s down, tenors up.”  

Donghyuck was still giggling as he glanced down at his sheet music. He loved being a choir kid. 

 

 

 

Jeno’s phone buzzed in his pocket. After checking that Mr. Qian was still facing the board, he surreptitiously checked it. 

 **Jaemin:**  

r u on crew for the choir concert tonight? 

 

Jeno glanced up at his English teacher again, then at Jaemin across the room, who was looking at the board attentively, before responding. 

 **Jeno <3 : ** 

nope I think its yeri and lucas 

 **Jaemin:**  

wanna come with me then? 

to the concert 

and the choir kids always go out for ice cream after so that too 

 

Jeno looked up and Jaemin caught his eye, sending him and blinding smile and a cheesy wink. Jeno couldn’t understand that boy. He was so confident now, so why had he been a blushing mess when Jeno had given him his number? 

He’d already been planning to go to the concert(he had a lot of friends in choir after all), so he figured he might as well go with Jaemin. A decision that was made entirely unaffected by the way Jaemin was now pouting and batting his eyelashes from across the room. That had nothing to do with it. 

 **Jeno <3 : ** 

yeah sure 

Jaemin’s response was almost instantatious. 

 

 **Jaemin:**  

YAAYYY!!!! ^-^ 

I’ll pick u up whats ur address? 

 

Jeno sent his address and put his phone away. He succeeded in paying attention to Mr. Qian for approximately five minutes before Jaemin sent another message. 

 **Jaemin:**  

what do u have my contact saved as btw? 

 **Jeno <3: ** 

um  

Jaemin 

 **Jaemin:**  

just my name!?!!?? 

 

Jeno could practically hear Jaemin’s scandalized tone. 

 

 **Jaemin:**  

that is so unoriginal 

Im offended 

Im changing ur contact now 

 **Jeno <3: ** 

To what? 

 **Jaemin:**  

Acorn 

 ** <3Acorn<3: ** 

… 

I feel like I should be offended now 

 **Jaemin:**  

Dont worry I put hearts around it 

 

The bell rang, triggering a mad scramble to cram books into bags and rush towards the door. 

“Remember, have up to Chaper 4 read and ready to discuss next class period,” Mr. Qian shouted over the hubbub. 

Jeno was slipping his binder into his backpack when a hand snatched his phone. He looked up to see Jaemin leaning against the desk, thumbs flying over Jeno’s screen. 

“There,” Jaemin said simply, handing the phone back and leaving the room without another word, but not without his signature sunshine smile. 

 ** <3Nana<3,  **the contact now read. Jeno smiled. It was cute, and definitely fit, so he left it like that.  

If Donghyuck noticed, when he met Jeno outside the classroom to head to lunch together, that Jeno was still smiling with a dusting of pink gracing his cheeks, he didn’t mention it. 

 

 

Half the kids who ate lunch in Mr. Moon’s classroom didn’t even take choir. Yangyang was there because of Donghyuck and Dejun, Hendery was there because of Dejun and Yangyang, Johnny was there because of Ten. Jisung had been sitting with them since before Chenle had convinced him to join choir. Other people wandered in and out sometimes; Taeyong often came in to flirt with Jaehyun; Lucas, with Jungwoo trailing in his wake, sometimes dropped by to goof off with Yangyang and Hendery; Renjun stopped in almost every day to talk to Donghyuck, Yangyang, Jeno, Chenle, and Jisung, sometimes acoompanied by Jaemin. Sometimes they only stayed for a few minutes; other days they were there for nearly the whole class period. 

On the day of the concert, the ratio of non-choir kids to choir kids was higher than normal. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to stop in and wish their friends good luck. It was noisy, but Donghyuck was grateful for the distraction; he was more nervous than he cared to admit, and had it not been for the rambunctious coversation he had been pulled into, he probably would have locked himself in a practice room and forgotten to eat.  

Donghyuck laughed at something stupid Lucas said, and glanced around at the rare sight of all his good friends gathered in one place. The groups seemed more complete, closer to the companionship they shared at rehearsal. He was on the brink of asking Renjun why their whole group didn’t always eat together like this; since Jungwoo, Lucas, Taeyong, and even Jaemin were in the room, he figured the stairs by the auditorium must be pretty much deserted, except for–

Oh. Mark. That was why they only spent part of their time in the choir room, because they didn’t want to leave Mark alone, and Mark didn’t feel welcome there. Because of Donghyuck. 

“Hyuck,” Jeno poked him, startling him out of his revere. “You good?” 

Donghyuck forced a smile and nodded, but he suddenly felt sick at the thought; he was alienating his friends, depriving them of spending time with each other, and for what? A pride fueled feud? Guilt flooded his stomach and he stood, suddenly desperate to get away. 

Waving off the concerns of his friends, he left them sprawled haphazardly across the floor. He pushed open the door to one of the small practice rooms and slumped over the piano. It was too late now to try being friends with Mark. The damage was done. 

Donghyuck did what he always did when he felt hopeless or overwhelmed: he floated his fingers over the keys of the piano, giving himself a measure of introduction, and then he began to sing. He focused on practicing his solo for that night, losing himself in the music until the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. 

  

 

Mark knew Taeyong only wanted to go to the choir concert because Jaehyun asked him to, but he wasn’t too upset. Jungwoo and Renjun had been pestering him to show up to one of these things for two years now, so he let Taeyong drag him along without much complaining.  

Since there were so many crossover students between the two departments, Mark knew a lot of choir kids from theatre. He even knew Mr. Moon pretty well since he was the music director for all the musicals. Mark really should have come to every choir concert– without being forced by a whipped Taeyong– just to support his friends.  It was just that Mark felt a little bit left out. He knew it was stupid; it was his own decision not to join choir. Still, he didn’t like the idea of watching his friends on the stage when he was used to being there with them. 

As they took their programs and searched for two open seats amid the sea of parents and grandparents, Taeyong rambled about the flowers he brought to give to Jaehyun after the concert. He waved cheerily towards the tech booth, and Lucas and Yeri waved back. 

They settled into their seats as the house lights dimmed, and the concert began. 

Mark’s mind started to wander almost immediately. The music was nice, of course, but he didn’t know anyone in the first two choirs(beginning mens’ and womens’ choirs, his program told him), since they seemed to be mostly freshmen and a few sophomores. He perked up considerably when the advanced mens’ choir filed onto the risers, speckled with a few familiar faces, including Jisung from stage crew in the bass section, who Taeyong pointed out with a proud, borderline motherly look on his face, and Chenle, who Mark was quite fond of, despite how loud he was. Chenle was one of the few students who was in multiple choirs, and the only sophomore in chamber choir, the most advanced group(Mark proudly told Taeyong all this as the advanced mens’ choir filed off stage).  

After zoning out halfway through the advanced womans’ choir’s set, Mark only fully returned his attention to the stage when chamber choir entered; this was the choir most of his friends were in. He spotted Irene, Jungwoo, Renjun, Ten, Chenle, and several others, their faces shining in the stage lights. Mark felt a tell-tale twinge of jealousy in his gut, part of his yearning to be up there with them. 

Taeyong must have caught the look on his face, because he poked him in the ribs and whispered, “Mark, why aren’t you in choir? And don’t even try to tell me you can’t sing, I was in stage crew for the musical last year.” 

Mark only shrugged, saved from having to give a real answer by the sound of the piano starting the intro to the chamber choir’s first piece. He'd always said he just wasn't interested in joining choir, but deep down, he knew there was another reason; he just didn't want to think about it right then.

 _You’re pathetic,_ a tiny voice in the back of his head whispered, but he shoved it down and focused his attention back to the concert, clapping robotically as the first piece ended. Mr. Moon raised his baton again, and with the tiniest of movements, he set the next piece into motion.  

It was a smooth, sweet piece in a language Mark didn’t know. Italian, maybe? Mr. Moon conducted with his whole body, swaying languidly, and the choir followed his every move, riding the swells of each phrase like waves in the sea through the first verse and chorus. 

Then, a slight, honey-haired figure slipped from his place on the second row. He stepped into the spotlight that was resting on the lone microphone stand near the front of the stage, gently resting his hand on it. The piano’s interlude slowed, and the boy glanced once at Mr. Moon before he took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and- 

 _Oh._  

So _this_ was it: the Donghyuck Effect. The reason why every non-straight guy in the theatre department (and probably the choir department too, if Mark had to guess) and their dog had a crush on the boy at some point. Maybe Mark had never really seen it because he’d never watched Donghyuck’s performance from the audience, so he’d never picked up on the way the spotlight glimmered across his tan skin, drenching him in gold and honey. Maybe it was because Donghyuck never looked at Mark with anything other than thinly veiled dislike that Mark couldn’t see the way Donghyuck’s features lit up when he performed; soft brown eyes half closed, eyelashes fluttering against the soft curve of his cheek, full lips carefully shaping each beautiful sound. 

Mark had never seen it before; he hadn’t been looking. But he was looking now, and despite everything, Mark had to admit, Donghyuck looked _beautiful._  

The golden skin, the full lips, the soft eyes were nothing, however, in comparison with the sound that filled the auditorium. Mark had heard Donghyuck sing before, of course; they’d done musicals together, he knew what Donghyuck’s voice sounded like. Maybe it was the fact that choral music was so different from what Mark was familiar with, or maybe Mark had never really bothered to  _listen._ But now– now he was listening. 

The choir joined in, soft chords backing Donghyuck’s sweet melody the way a pedestal supports a priceless work of art. Donghyuck’s voice was a sparking gem, set in the silver of the choir’s harmony. 

The last notes of the song rang out, the final chords of the piano faded, and in that moment the entire world froze. In that moment, Mark looked at Donghyuck, and he didn’t see someone he disliked, or someone who disliked him. All he saw was a boy, beautiful and honey skinned, who had just poured his soul out through his vocal cords, and for that one moment, Mark  _understood._  

Before he could quite figure out exactly  _what_ he understood, the moment ended. The audience was applauding enthusiastically, Donghyuck was slipping back into his place in the choir’s formation with a wide smile on his face, and whatever Mark had grasped during the song was rapidly slipping through his fingers. Donghyuck, he remembered, was annoying. He was petty. And he hated Mark. 

That didn’t stop Mark from joining the standing ovation. He was no stranger to the stage, after all; he knew how to appreciate a performance. And maybe, just maybe, Mark's perception of Donghyuck shifted a little bit that night.

 

 

Donghyuck was flushed with victory, relishing the high that performing always gave him. He managed to extract himself from his parents (“You did amazing, sweetie!” Donghyuck’s mother gushed, nearly suffocating him in a tight hug while his father pounded him jovially on the back), and was talking to Renjun when he spotted Jeno. Donghyuck waved him over energetically. 

“Hyuck!” Jeno cried, throwing himself at his best friend, “You did amazing! Jaemin almost cried during your solo, not joke.” 

“Thank you!” Donghyuck laughed for a moment before fully registeing what Jeno had said. “Wait, you're here with..” He sight of a familiar figure over Jeno’s shoulder and his eyes widened. “Jeno,” he hissed, “Are you on a _date_ with _Jaemin?”_  

Jeno’s eyes widened and he glanced around nervously. He needn’t have been worried; Jaemin was too busy cooing over an annoyed Jisung, pinching his cheeks and praising him, to have overheard.  

“Well?” Donghyuck pressed. “Are you?” 

“I-I don’t know?” Jeno answered weakly.  

Donghyuck wanted to interrogate him further but he was rudely interrupted by a hesitant voice. “Donghyuck?” 

He immediately felt his hackles rise at the sight of Mark Lee, but he refused to let his good mood be ruined. “What?” he asked, schooling his face into something resembling friendliness. 

“Uh,” Mark shuffled his feet awkwardly, “I just wanted to say,” he actually met Donghyuck’s eyes, “you were amazing. Your solo, I mean.” 

Donghyuck didn’t have to fake the surprised smile at the compliment. “Oh! That’s- well, thank you!” Mark returned the smile, to Donghyuck’s continued surprise, and walked away to talk to Jungwoo. 

“Wait,” Renjun said, mouth open in shock as he followed Mark’s retreat with his eyes, “did Mark and Donghyuck just have an actual, civil _conversation?”_  

"I... guess?" Donghyuck caught Jaemin shooting a meaningful look at Jeno, but ignored it. “Whatever. Let’s go get ice cream.” 

 

 

 **< 3Nana<3: ** 

I had fun tonight 😊 

we should hang out again sometime 

 ** <3 Acorn <3 ** 

yeah 

I’d like that :) 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps I wrote this chapter because I graduated last month and I miss choir, but it's my fic and I can do what I want!  
> Feel free to leave a comment, I read them all and they make me super happy! ^-^


	4. Of Prouder Stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW!!! Bullying, homophobia, panic attack

_Nature never framed a woman's heart_   
_Of prouder stuff than that of Beatrice._

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act III Scene I)_

 

Mark spotted an unexpected figure in the stage when he entered the auditorium for rehearsal the next Wednesday. “Ten!” he called excitedly, dropping his backpack and hurrying to greet the older boy. “What are you doing here?”

Ten and Mark knew each other from the musicals, but Ten was generally uninterested in performances that didn’t involve singing or dancing, hence why he wasn’t involved in the current production- until now, apparently.

“Hey Mark,” Ten flashed his catlike smile, glancing up at the younger boy. Ten may be small, but Mark knew his stage presence more than made up for it. “Doyoung asked me to choreograph the masquerade ball scene.”

That made sense; Ten was one of the best dancers in the school, giving phenomenal performances in the musicals as well as the school dance team. He knew more styles of dance than Mark had even heard of, so it wasn’t surprising that he knew ballroom.

Other cast members trickled in, greeting Ten enthusiastically. Mark snickered quietly at the sight of Hendery tripping over his own foot when he spotted Ten, face flaming. 

“Okay children,” Ten clapped his hands with authority, “Get over here and shut up.”

The cast shuffled obediently onto the stage, forming a messy semi-circle around the bossy senior, while the crew moved to the tech booth to get their instructions from Taeyong. Doyoung sat in the auditorium with his marked-up script, seemingly content to delegate his director’s authority for the day.

“I’ll be teaching you a simple, repetitive waltz,” Ten said. “First, we’ll go through the steps. Once you all have than down, we’ll block the scene. Who would like to help me with the demonstration? Ah, Hendery, how about you?”

The selected boy’s face was flaming red once again, and Mark caught a glimmer in Ten’s eyes that said he knew exactly what he was doing to poor Hendery. Mark shook his head in wonder; Ten was really something else.

“Normally, the man leads,” Ten was explaining, “But because a lot of your characters are gender swapped, the taller person will lead. That would be you, Hendery.” Ten guided one of Hendery’s hands to his waist, holding the other in his own as he placed his free hand on the taller boy’s shoulder. Hendery looked as though he was ready to explode as Ten smiled sweetly up at him.

Mark caught Jaemin’s eye and they smirked knowingly at each other as Ten guided Hendery through the steps of the simple waltz, counting the beats out loud.

Apparently karma was on Hendery’s side today, because Ten shouted, “Pair up and practice! If you know who you’re dancing with, find them, if not, find a partner.”

Jungwoo snickered at the look on Mark’s face. “Seriously, man, Donghyuck is a total sweetheart. Why are you so afraid of him?”

Before Mark could articulate a response, which probably would have included the words ‘devil incarnate,’ he was cut off by Donghyuck slinging an arm around his shoulder. Mark stiffened immediately.

“May I have this dance, good sir?” Donghyuck said in a terrible British accent.

“Not like I have any choice,” Mark sighed, waving a farewell to Jungwoo and wriggling out from underneath Donghyuck’s arm.

“The correct response,” Donghyuck huffed, pouting, “is ‘certainly, gentle lady.’”

Mark scoffed, but his scathing retort was cut off by Ten calling everyone to attention. He had released Hendery out of necessity, as Claudio played a big part in the scene and he needed to actually practice the dance with his partner. 

“I’ll count you through the first four measures until so you can get the timing,” Ten said, signaling to Taeyong in the light booth to start the music. Generic instrumentals flooded the auditorium.

Mark warily looked back at Donghyuck, whose face was impassive.

“You’re taller,” Donghyuck pointed out, “so you lead.” Mark had never noticed, but there was indeed a couple inches difference. He gritted his teeth as he placed a hand on Donghyuck’s waist as the other boy rested his own on Mark’s shoulders and gingerly linked their free hands, and they started moving through the steps Ten had taught them. Mark was forcefully reminded of a scene in Pride and Prejudice(which Jaemin had forced him to watch a few weeks ago and then laughed at him when he cried at the ending), in which Elizabeth danced with Mr. Darcy despite her dislike of him. Mark supposed, in this situation, they were both Elizabeths.

“Mark,” Ten called from his observation point at the front of the stage, “loosen up, you look like a mannequin.”

Mark scowled at Donghyuck’s teasing giggle, forcing his muscles to relax as he pointedly ignored his dance partner.

Ten moved among the pairs of dancers, correcting form here and there. Due to the simplicity of the routine, it wasn’t long before Ten announced that it was time to run the scene with lines.

Act II Scene I depicts a masquerade party at Leonato’s house. Since this rehearsal was focused on the dancing aspect, they skipped the beginning conversation between Hero, Leonato, Antonio, and Beatrice, jumping to the point where the rest of the cast entered and began to dance. Ten placed Irene(Don Pedro) and Wendy(Hero) in the front to begin the dance, shifting them naturally to the side as their conversation ended to be replaced with Chenle and Jaemin, who were failing miserably at staying in character as Balthazar and Margaret due to their uncontrollable giggling. Ten merely sighed as the stumbled through both their lines and the dance steps, before he waved them back to allow Suelgi and Yuta to take their place in the front. Mark admired the seamless way Ten shifted the focal point of the dance from one couple to another as their conversations played out.

Ten beckoned Mark and Donghyuck to a point just behind Seulgi and Yuta. “Your lines start in the middle of your conversation, so when Ursula and Antonio move,” he gestured at Seulgi and Yuta, “be dancing here and having that conversation.”

“Graces will appear, and there’s an end,” Seulgi/Ursula said as she and Yuta danced toward the left side of the stage, cueing Mark and Donghyuck to take their place in the front.

“Will you not tell my who told you so?” Donghyuck’s voice lilted.

“No, you shall pardon me,” Mark returned

“Nor will you tell me who you are?”

“Not now.”’

This was easier than talking to Donghyuck simply because it wasn’t Donghyuck at the moment; he was Beatrice, and Mark wasn’t Mark either, he was Benedick. Mark relaxed, gently guiding Donghyuck into the choreographed twirl before bringing him back in. Donghyuck/Beatrice began berating Benedick’s flaws(unknowingly) to his face, and Mark though how deeply hurt Benedick must have been by her sharp words. Donghyuck could argue all he wanted, but Mark still felt that Benedick already had feelings for Beatrice at this point of the play; this conversation must have crushed him.

“I know the gentleman, I’ll tell him what you say,” Mark said, adding a note of hurt to his inflections.

“Do, do,” Donghyuck replied, eyes sparking with Beatrice’s mischief and malice, and Mark caught a glimpse of what he saw at the choir concert: Donghyuck, in his element of performance, shining like the sun, and Mark was blinded for a moment to everything except the boy directly in front of him. Sparkling eyes, framed by a touch of deep brown eyeliner. Dainty moles that Mark had never noticed before scattered like stars across a universe of honeyed skin. Full, heart-shaped lips, pulled into a slight frown...

Oh. Donghyucks lips weren’t moving anymore, and Mark’s mind had gone completely blank. He couldn’t remember his next line for the life of him. “Uh..”

“ _In every good thing_ ,” Donghyuck hissed, expression scathing.

“Oh, right! In every good thing.”

“Nay, if they lead to any ill,” Donghyuck recited, glossing over Mark’s moment of distraction, “I will leave them at the next turning.” And finally, blissfully, the dance ended and Mark pulled his slightly sweaty hand from Donghyuck’s grip.

They ran the scene several more times to get the blocking down, and Mark managed to keep his focus for the rest of rehearsal.

 

Donghyuck lived his high school life in a bubble. He wore his headphones in between classes. He ate lunch in the choir room. He surrounded himself with theatre and choir students. In Donghyuck’s bubble, no one cared that he sometimes wore floral blouses to school; no one thought it was weird when he wore eyeliner; no one made fun of his piercings, adorned with rhinestones and flowers; no one attacked him for liking boys. In fact, Donghyuck sometimes forgot that the world outside his bubble was a harsh, cruel place.

Apparently, the universe decided it was time he was reminded.

Donghyuck was tired and frustrated after rehearsal in early October. They had begun blocking Act I, which Beatrice was in most of the scenes for, so Donghyuck had very little down time. Doyoung had kept him and Mark back after everyone else left to continue their ‘character work’(read: heated arguing), and to make matters worse, he had a huge pile of homework to do, not to mention music to memorize for choir. 

He stopped by his locker to grab his geography textbook, catching sight of his reflection on the small mirror stuck to the inside of the metal door. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. His roots were coming in; he’d need to re-dye soon. Maybe he’d try a darker shade this time, he thought idly, slamming his locker door and starting down the hallway. 

“Hey, faggot,” a voice drawled from behind him. Donghyuck stiffened at the slur, but continued walking.

“Hey, I’m talking to you,” the voice came again, but Donghyuck resisted the urge to turn around. Nothing like this had happened in a while, but it wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with before. He clenched his jaw and kept walking.

A hand grabbed his shoulder, roughly turning him around, and Donghyuck found himself glaring up at a boy he vaguely recognised from a math class last year. He couldn’t recall a name, all he knew was that this boy was much bigger than him. 

He glanced around. The halls were completely devoid of life. Donghyuck would have to deal with this on his own. 

He crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want?”

The taller boy leered, stepping closer. Donghyuck could feel the hot breath on his face but he didn’t retreat; that would be a sign of weakness. He glared defiantly up unto the boy’s face, but panic started to bubble quietly in his stomach.

“You really are as pretty as a girl,” the boy was much too close. “What a shame you’re just a disgusting faggot.”

“Get away from me.” Donghyuck tried to sound strong, but his voice trembled. The bully’s grin widened.

“Oh, are you scared? The prissy little gayboy is scared?” He took another step forward, and Donghyuck had to step back.

“I’m not scared of you.” It was a lie. He was alone, he was outmatched in size and strength. Donghyuck was terrified.

“That’s not what your face says,” the taller boy moved  forward again, slowly backing Donghyuck into the wall. “Aren’t you supposed to be an actor, little theatre boy?”

Donghyuck’s back pressed against the wall, eyes searching frantically for an escape, but strong arms pressed against the wall on either side of him, bracketing him in.

“People like you are disgusting,” the boy said, on hand roughly grabbing Donghyuck’s jaw. “Your pretty face can’t fix you.”

Donghyuck’s breathing came in gasps. He tried to pull away. But he was helpless, useless, trapped....

“Get away from him!” The voice was vaguely familiar, but Donghyuck couldn’t focus enough to place it. The rough hand released him and he crumpled to the floor, curling himself into a ball, breaths shallow. The familiar voice spoke again, followed by some sort of commotion, but heard it as though from far away. He was thirteen again, trapped in a locker, hands pounding uselessly at the metal door, mocking laughter the only answer to his pleas for release.

_Weak. Disgusting. Mistake_

“Donghyuck.” 

He flinched away from the gentle voice, huddling against the wall, breath coming fast and short.

_Freak. Useless. Revolting._

“Hey, Donghyuck,” the soft, familiar voice came again, accompanied by a tentative hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, he’s gone. You’re safe.”

_Safe._

Donghyuck’s hyperventilation turned into sobs, racking his trembling frame. The tentative hand cautiously rubbed comforting circles on his back as his breathing devolved into ragged gasps. He pulled himself together enough to glance up at the owner of the familiar voice to find himself staring into the face of the last person he wanted to see when he was so completely and utterly vulnerable.

“Um,” Mark said, “are you okay? Oh, god, stupid question,” he muttered shaking his head, “you’re obviously not okay.”

Donghyuck turned his face away as he tried to suppress another sob. He suddenly felt exhausted, completely drained. Too exhausted to shrug off Mark’s hand that stayed on his back. Too exhausted to fight as Mark, ever so cautiously, slid an arm around Donghyuck’s shoulders, pulling his closer and murmuring reassurances. Too exhausted to keep himself from burying his face into Mark’s chest, silent tears soaking through the other boy’s shirt. Something in the back of his mind screamed at him to run away, to hide, to not show weakness in front of this boy. They weren’t friends; they barely tolerated each other most of the time, and yet, Mark was here, offering comfort, and Donghyuck was too exhausted to refuse.

When Donghyuck’s tears had ceased and his breathing evened, saved for a few hiccups, Mark gently pulled away. “Do you have a ride home?”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck refused to meet Mark’s gaze, hating how weak his voice was, knowing his face must be a mess. “My car is in the parking lot.”

“You are not driving yourself home.”

“But-”

“No.” Mark’s voice was firm. He grabbed Donghyuck by the elbow and hoisted him off the ground, hands strong but not rough, and began tugging him toward the exit. “I’m taking you home.”

“But my car,” Donghyuck protested weakly.

“It’ll be fine here overnight. Get Jeno or someone to take you to school tomorrow.” Mark opened the passenger door of his beat up Toyota, motioning for Donghyuck to get inside.

_What a day this turned out to be._

 

 

Mark’s stinging knuckles were white on the steering wheel. He glanced at the boy staring blankly out the passenger window, and fury flared in his gut again. He couldn’t shake the image of Donghyuck, normally so fiery and defiant, cowering against a wall with that look of utter helplessness; it made him wish he had done worse to the bully than the single punch. Mark’s hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, remembering the horrible things the creep had said to Donghyuck.

He stole another quick glance at Donghyuck, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to loosen his grip on the wheel. The silence in the car was nearly strangling him, but what could he say? Donghyuck hated Mark, he probably didn’t want to talk about what happened, but Mark  _had_ to say  _something._

“You know, in Shakespeare's time, ‘gay' meant ‘happy'”

Donghyuck turned, bloodshot eyes blinking at him. A moment of silence passed before a weak laugh burbled from the younger boy, slightly strangled, but Mark’s tense shoulders relaxed at the sound. “That has to be one of the stupidest things you’ve ever said, Mark Lee.” The insult lacked any bite; Donghyuck just sounded tired and a little sad.

Another minute passed, silent except for Donghyuck instructing Mark where to turn.

“Why?” Donghyuck broke the silence.

“Why what?” Mark looked over at Donghyuck, who looked small and vulnerable, staring at his hands in his lap.

“Why did you help me? You don’t even like me, you could have gotten hurt-”

“Are you kidding me?” Mark’s tone was harsher than he meant it to be and Donghyuck flinched, triggering a cascade of guilt in Mark’s chest. “I know you don’t like me,” he continued in a softer tone, “but do you really think I would just let that happen? What kind of a person do you think I am?”

“That’s not what I-”

“It doesn’t matter than we aren’t friends,” Mark said, “I would have done the same for anyone. No one deserves to be attacked for something they can’t change about themselves.”

“Oh.” Mark risked another glance at the other boy, but Donghyuck’s face was turned away.

“If it makes you feel better,” Mark said hesitantly, “I am too.”

This caught Donghyuck’s attention. He peered curiously at the older boy. “You’re gay?”

“Well, bi. But yeah,” Mark said, feeling awkward. He wasn’t ashamed of his sexuality, but he didn’t talk about it much to anyone besides his closest friends, and that group certainly didn’t include Donghyuck.

“Huh,” Donghyuck settled back into his seat. “Maybe that theatre boy stereotype has a point.” Mark let out a snort at that. A tiny flicker of the familiar teasing spark came to life in Donghyuck’s red-rimmed eyes. “Never would have thought, the perfect Mark Lee.”

“Liking boys doesn’t make me any less perfect,” Mark quipped back, but the meaning beneath the joking tone was clear: _It doesn’t make us any less._  

For once, Donghyuck had no biting response.

 

They didn’t discuss The Incident. Donghyuck didn’t even tell Jeno the reason he needed a ride to school the next morning. His best friend looked worried, but didn’t pry, which Donghyuck was thankful for. 

For the most part, nothing really changed; Donghyuck kept quiet about the bruises blooming across Mark’s knuckles, and Mark never tried to approach the subject. But there was a shift in the atmosphere between them, the understanding that comes from sharing an experience, of fighting on the same side of a battle. 

Jeno, always in tune with his best friend, picked up on the subtle change even before Donghyuck did. “What’s up with you and Mark?” he asked, a few days after The Incident, settling next to Donghyuck on the floor. There were still a few minutes before Donghyuck’s next entrance, but he liked the quiet and calm backstage, as well as Jeno’s presence.

“What do you mean?”

“You two haven’t had a shouting match all week,” Jeno replied, half amusement, half curiosity. “What gives?”

Donghyuck turned back to face the stage, where Mark and a few other cast members were running a scene. He shrugged. “I guess I just don’t feel like it.”

“Finally realised you don’t actually hate him?” Jeno smiled.

“Please,” Donghyuck retorted. “I definitely hate him.”

But both he and Jeno knew it wasn’t quite true anymore  
  


 

October wore on, bringing colder weather, more homework, and the vague threat of longer, more frequent rehearsals on the horizon. Jaemin always felt the most peace at this point of the process. The cast wasn’t yet stressed out of their minds, they weren’t sick of the show yet, they still had at least a little free time, and, perhaps most importantly, there were set builds every Saturday.

Jaemin wasn’t necessarily fond of building or painting, but there was something about watching the cast and crew work together that made him feel all warm and tingly. Okay, so maybe seeing Jeno in a muscle tee and sweatpants pounding nails into the set with a hammer contributed to the tingly feeling. A bit.

“Stop making googly eyes at Jeno and hand me the black paint,” Renjun huffed. 

“We’ve been texting,” Jaemin sighed dreamily, handing over the bottle of paint.

“Jaemin,” Renjun deadpanned, “If I have to hear one more word about Jeno today, I am going to ram this paintbrush down your throat.”

Jaemin gulped, eyeing Renjun’s potential weapon, and immediately searched the room for another topic of conversation. “What do you think is the deal with Mark and Hyuck?”

“What do you mean? They hate each other, that’s the deal.”

“They haven’t fought in a while.”

“So? They’ve fought plenty of times before.”

“I’m working on a theory,” Jaemin hummed thoughtfully, gazing from Mark, who was screwing hinges onto a door, to Donghyuck, who was stapling artificial flowers and shrubbery to the bottom of a wall Renjun had painted to look like stone.

“Is this gonna be like the time you tried to convince me that Doyoung and Mr. Moon were dating?”

“They totally are,” Jaemin insisted, still gazing with narrowed eyes at Mark. “Junnie, look!”

Renjun looked up from his paints, following Jaemin’s gaze just in time to see Mark glance across at Donghyuck, and the look on his face for that split second... well, it wasn’t quite hatred.

“Huh,” Renjun said after a moment. “Well then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was a BEAST to write but it's finally here! Let me know what you think!


	5. In the Despite of Beauty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK LEE!!!

_Thou wast ever an obstinate heretic in the despite_

_of beauty._

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act I Scene I)_

 

 

“You want us to _what?”_ Donghyuck’s shrill voice demanded. 

“You heard me the first time,” Doyoung replied firmly, rolling his eyes. He loved his job, he really did, but why did theatre kids have to make everything such a big deal? “Why are you surprised? I made you go on a date with Wendy last year.”

Mark was silent, a look of resignation on his face. He had probably predicted this intervention- not that it was hard to predict- when Doyoung called the two boys into his office after rehearsal one Friday.

“You’ve both had this speech before, but I’ll give it anyway,” the young theatre teacher began, a glare silencing Donghyuck’s continued protests. “In order to perform well together, you have to trust each other. This is true for all castmates but _especially_ love interests, and so…” he waited expectantly for one of the boys to finish his thought for him, but was disappointed. “And so, your assignment is to go on a date before the end of the month.”

Both boys looked as though they wanted to argue, but neither did. Doyoung sighed heavily. He had noticed the strange animosity between the boys, but had ignored it as it hadn’t been a significant problem- until now. They hadn’t been as bad recently, but they both had walls up that prevented them from performing to their full potential. “Look,” the tired teacher said, “I don’t know what your problem is with each other, but you’d better sort it out.” He gave them a look that clearly said, _or else._

Doyoung dismissed them, and Mark and Donghyuck hurried to grab their backpacks and flee, neither looking at the other. Doyoung leaned back in his chair, wondering if, or when, his two bright pupils would tell him what the problem was. As a teacher, he respected his students’ boundaries and never pried into their personal lives, but as a director and friend, he was always ready to listen if any student needed to talk.

“Hey, Doyoung.” The teacher looked up to find Jeno standing in his doorway. “Is there anything you need help with?”

This was Jeno Code for _“It’s my dad’s weekend and I want an excuse not to go yet.”_ Unfortunately, it was a code that Doyoung was all too familiar with.

“Of course,” Doyoung smiled. “You can help me dig the Shakespearean costumes out of the prop hall. Johnny wants to have a look at them.” As the costume designer for the show, Johnny could easily sort through the costumes himself, but Jeno was obviously in need somewhere to be right now.

The force of Jeno’s bright smile turned his dark eyes into endearing crescents, and Doyoung beamed back. Teachers definitely weren’t supposed to have favorite students, but Doyoung couldn’t deny his soft spot for the quiet stage crew boy. He and Jeno had grown quite close over the past couple years, as the boy trusted Doyoung as a friend and mentor. Doyoung had cried with Jeno when his parents had divorced, and cried even harder the time the boy had thanked him for being “ _The dad I never had.”_

Doyoung grabbed his keys off his desk and the pair headed to the staircase that led to the prop hall. The prop hall was a strip of space in the attic, next to the boiler room, stuffed with props, costumes, set pieces, and other odds and ends collected from years of shows. Doyoung could never bring himself to throw anything away, because what if one day he needed that metallic pink suit? Unfortunately, the result was extreme difficulty in finding the items he actually _did_ need.

Jeno, as a stage crew student and as Doyoung’s most frequent helper, knew his way around the prop hall as well as anyone could know their way around a place made of pure chaos. He picked his way past an armchair laden with wedding dresses, under a clothing rack full of vests, and to the pile of boxes that held the time period costumes. Doyoung followed, careful not to trip.

“So,” Doyoung said carefully as they began sorting through corsets and doublets, “You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with Jaemin lately.”

 _Right on the money._ Jeno’s cheeks flushed as he supressed a smile. “Yeah, we’re friends now.”

“Friends, huh?” Doyoung teased.

“Yes, friends!” Jeno insisted. “He flirts with everyone, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“Oh, so he’s been flirting?” Jeno clamped his mouth shut, cheeks flaming as the older man laughed. “Sorry, sorry, I don’t mean to pry.”

“It’s okay,” Jeno mumbled. “I tell you pretty much everything anyways.”

Warmth bloomed in Doyoung’s heart at that. To be trusted by Jeno, to be allowed to see past the cheerful, calm mask he always wore, was a privilege that Doyoung treasured. “Is there anything you need to talk about today?” 

Jeno huffed, setting a pile of stocking off to the side. “I guess, since I’m here.” He cleared his throat. “So, hypothetically, if there’s this boy that I hypothetically might like a little bit...”

Doyoung grinned. “Is this hypothetical boy cute? Nice smile? Tall, pretty eyes?”

“Maybe. Hypothetically.”

“Name starts with Jae and ends with Min?”

“Doyoung, this is hypothetical!”

 

 

Jeno didn’t get to his dad’s house until late that night, skipping dinner and going straight to his room. As always, he facetimed Donghyuck soon after arriving.

“Did you stay late at school again?” Donghyuck’s voice asked in Jeno’s ear. Jeno was wearing headphones in the hopes of keeping the conversation more private. Logically, he knew his dad wouldn’t come upstairs, wouldn’t hear anything anyway, but it was always best to be cautious.

“Yeah, I helped Doyoung sort through the costumes.”

“So, what’s bothering you today?” Jeno didn’t bother denying that something was up; Donghyuck knew that Jeno sought refuge with Doyoung whenever he was having a hard time with anything.

“I think,” Jeno began, “well, I think I might..”

“Like Jaemin?” Donghyuck finished with a smirk. “Great deduction, Sherlock.”

“Shut up,” Jeno retorted, cheeks burning. He pulled out an earbud, listening intently; he could hear his dad shouting at the television, probably watching some sort of sports game, meaning there was no chance of him overhearing. “I don’t know, Hyuck. What if i only think I like him because he keeps, uh-”

“Flirting with you?”

“I wouldn’t say flirting,” Jeno mumbled, but at that moment a notification popped up of Jeno’s phone screen, obscuring Donghyuck’s face. It read:

**< 3Nana<3:**

**Whats up hot stuff ;)**

“Okay, maybe he’s flirting,” Jeno admitted, face reddening as he dismissed the notification, making a mental note to reply as soon as he finished talking to Hyuck. “But he flirts with a lot of people, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Donghyuck hummed in consideration. “That’s true, but it’s different with you.”

Something suspiciously like hope spiked in Jeno’s stomach, and he did his best to squash it down. “What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s usually a lot more, I don’t know, smooth? You’re the only person I’ve ever seen him flustered around”

Jeno opened his mouth to argue that, if anything, _he_ was the one who got flustered, but paused, remembering the expression of borderline panic on Jaemin’s face the day Taeyong had forced Jeno to save his number into Jaemin’s phone. “Maybe,” he conceded finally.

“You know what I think you should do”

“What?” Jeno responded, with a strong inkling as to what Donghyuck was likely to suggest.

“Shove him against a wall and make out with him.”

Jeno sighed. “I’m not doing that.”

“Fine, then just ask him out.”

“I… don’t know if I can do that either,” Jeno said heavily.

“Why not?” Donghyuck demanded in exasperation. “You like him, he clearly likes you, so what’s the problem?”

“Even, if he _does_ like me, which I’m still not sure about,” Jeno began. Donghyuck tried to interrupt but Jeno cut him off. “No– shut up for a second, Hyuck–if he _does_ like me, I really don’t think I can be in a relationship right now.”

There was a pause. “Because… of your dad?” Donghyuck asked gently after a moment.

“Yeah.” Jeno sighed. “I don’t think I could hide something like that from him. And, if I _was_ dating Jaemin, or anyone else for that matter, I wouldn’t want to hide them. That wouldn’t be fair.”

Donghyuck was silent, which was rare for him. “Oh,” he finally replied, “I can’t even argue with that.”

  
 

 

“Oh my god, that was too flirty,” Jaemin bemoaned, flopping down spread-eagled onto Renjun’s bed. “He’s not answering. I scared him off. Oh my god. What do I do now?”

Mark sighed, trying to tune out Jaemin’s vocal worrying and concentrate on the geography homework he had spread across Renjun’s desk. Renjun himself, curled up on a beanbag chair, glanced up from the book he was reading to share an exasperated glance with Mark. “Is this better or worse than when he was just pining?”

“Definitely worse,” Mark replied instantly. 

“Just imagine how bad they’ll be when they start dating,” Lucas added from the floor, not taking taking his eyes off his phone.

“That’s never going to happen _now,”_ Jaemin wailed dramatically. “I’ve ruined everything, he probably hates me now, and I’m never going to find love, I’ll die alone and- Oh, wait! Nevermind. He answered.”

Mark groaned, but truly, he was happy his friend had finally made a move. Jeno was a great guy, and Mark was sure he would see how amazing Jaemin was. They’d make a great couple.

Jaemin updated the uninterested room on his conversation with Jeno every couple minutes or so. 

“Seriously, isn’t Jeno the most handsome person ever?” Jaemin pouted when he realised no one was listening to him. “Guys! Come on, name one person more attractive than Jeno.” Renjun opened his mouth. “And don’t say Taeyong! I’m like sixty percent sure he’s not even human, no one can have bone structure that perfect.” Renjun closed his mouth again with a shrug. 

Mark wasn’t thinking about Taeyong. At Jaemin’s words, images of tear-streaked caramel skin rose unbidden to Mark’s mind, and he tried to push them away. 

As though reading Mark’s thoughts, Lucas interjected, “Donghyuck’s pretty hot.” Three pairs of eyes stared back at him. “What? I’m straight, not blind.”

Mark scoffed, ignoring the fact that Lucas had said exactly what he was thinking. “Yeah, too bad he’s a jerk.” It was a moment before Mark realised his mistake.

“You just agreed that Donghyuck is hot,” Jaemin pointed out, his tone almost an accusation.

“No, I said he’s a jerk,” Mark retorted.

“You do think he’s hot though, don't you?” Renjun piped up, his deceptively nonchalant voice betrayed by the keen look in his eyes.

Despite being an actor, Mark was astonishingly bad at lying, especially to his best friends, so he didn’t bother trying. He shrugged defensively. “Of course, I’m not blind,” he said, echoing Lucas’ earlier words. “Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a jerk.” Jaemin’s smile made Mark uncomfortable.

“He’s not a jerk,” Renjun refuted. “He can be a brat sometimes, sure, but he’s a good person.”

“I really don’t get why you hate him,” Lucas added, for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“He started it!” Mark argued childishly. That much was true; Mark wasn’t a naturally contentious person, but Donghyuck had seemed to go out of his way to be as unlikable as possible since their first year of high school. Mark had no idea why Donghyuck hated him so much, but he’d eventually resigned himself to the mutual animosity. For the first time in a long time, though, he was feeling bothered by it. “I’m going home,” Mark huffed, stuffing his geography textbook into his bag and slipping out of Renjun’s room, ignoring the exasperated expressions of his friends. He _really_ didn’t want to discuss the date assignment with them, as he had a feeling none of them would be on his side.

“We really need to do something about that,” Mark heard Jaemin say as he descended the stairs.

Maybe he was getting too in character; maybe the emotions he portrayed as Benedick were lingering offstage, and that was why soft brown eyes and honey skin were plaguing his thoughts. 

God, this ‘date’ was going to be a disaster. 

  
  


 

“So, um... What’s your favorite musical?” Donghyuck immediately cringed at the cliché ice breaker, but he had no idea what to say. Sitting in this diner on a teacher-assigned date with Mark Lee of all people was definitely on Donghyuck’s list of ‘Top 10 Most Awkward Ways to Spend A Friday Night.’

Mark raised an eyebrow at him from across the table. “Oh, is this how we’re doing things? Okay then, nice to meet you, my name is Mark Lee, and we definitely haven’t known each other for like three years.”

“To be fair,” Donghyuck returned, “We haven’t really talked much. Except, you know...”

“Fighting,” Mark finished, and Donghyuck nodded, looking anywhere but at the boy sitting across the table from him. The arrival of the waitress was a welcome relief, but once she left with their orders, the awkward silence descended again

“Newsies,” Mark said suddenly. Donghyuck’s eyes snapped back to Mark’s face.

“What?”

“My favorite musical,” Mark said, looking a bit uncomfortable but meeting Donghyuck’s gaze. “It’s Newsies.”

“Why?”

“Huh?” The typical theatre-kid ice breaker usually didn’t have a follow up.

“Why is it your favorite?” Donghyuck pressed, resting his chin in his hand and gazing expectantly at Mark. Asking someone why they liked something always gave more insight, Donghyuck knew, and he was surprised to find himself actually interested in what the other boy’s response would be. Donghyuck didn’t actually want to get to know Mark Lee. Did he?

“Well,” Mark started, his eyes focusing on a point over Donghyuck’s left shoulder, “Obviously the music is great and the dancing is amazing... but I also love the message. Like, be willing to fight for what you believe. And I love that it’s the kids who change their own lives. They don’t wait for grown-ups to save them, they take their fate into their own hands.” Mark’s gaze was distant, the line of his mouth softened into a smile. “It makes me feel like I could change the world, you know?”

Donghyuck thought back to the determination in Mark’s eyes as he faced the bully the other day, and the gentleness with which he helped Donghyuck stand, made sure he was okay. Mark wasn’t just dreaming of changing the world, Donghyuck realized; he was changing it.

“And Jeremy Jordan as Jack Kelly was kind of my gay awakening.”

Donghyuck choked his mouthful of water, barely managing to swallow before he broke out into a half-cough, half-laugh.

“What?” Mark whined, but he started laughing too.

“Oh man, Jeremy Jordan,” Donghyuck slumped back in his seat with a sigh, still giggling.

The waitress spared them each an odd look as she placed their food on the table. They thanked her politely, and the giggles began to subside as both boys dug into their food with the fervor of wild animals– or, well, teenage boys. Donghyuck marveled for a moment; here he was, stuck having dinner with Mark Lee of all people, and he was actually enjoying it?

“What about you?” Mark said after a minute of comfortable silence

“Who was my gay awakening?”

“No!” Mark looked flustered until he looked up at Donghyuck’s grin and realized the other boy was just teasing him. “Your favorite musical, moron.”

“I don’t think it’s very good etiquette to insult your date, Mark Lee,” Donghyuck pouted. He was finding that he enjoyed teasing Mark like this– in a nonmalicious, almost friendly way. He enjoyed seeing Mark’s cheeks flush, not with anger, but with embarrassment or awkwardness.

“You’re not– well I guess technically– whatever,” Mark spluttered, “Just answer the question.”

Donghyuck hummed thoughtfully as he dunked a few fries in his ketchup. “Of course, I have a lot of favorites, but I think I'd have to go with Hairspray.”

“Why?” Mark echoed Donghyuck’s question from earlier.

Donghyuck hesitated for a moment, but he was surprised to find himself feeling comfortable with sharing. He was oddly sure that Mark wouldn’t make fun of him or judge him.

“Obviously it’s a really fun show,” Donghyuck began, staring at his plate, “but to me, it’s so much more than that. It really got me through some hard times. Before high school, I got bullied a lot.” He chuckled. “Well, a lot more than I do now anyways. I was a bit chubby back then, and well,” he shot a wry smile at Mark, “Everyone found out I was gay in seventh grade. I had a crush on a boy in my class, and when I confessed, he outed me.” He looked away, not wanting to see pity in the other boy’s eyes. "After that... well, it was pretty bad." That was an understatement; middle school had been living hell. “It was right around that time that I got into theatre and when I listened to Hairspray for the first time, I felt so connected; to the characters, to the story, everything. It taught me to love myself, my body, for who I was. It taught me to fight back. It taught me that it was okay for me to love whoever I wanted, because love has no borders.”

Donghyuck finally looked back up at Mark, and he saw an expression in the other’s eyes that he’d never seem there. It wasn’t the usual dislike or annoyance; it wasn’t even pity; it was almost... Awe? Wonder?

“Donghyuck,” Mark said, his voice hushed, “that was really beautiful.”

Donghyuck coughed, feeling awkward having told all that to someone who was supposed to be his worst enemy, and quickly changed the subject.

Over the course of the next half hour, Donghyuck learned more about Mark Lee than he had ever wanted to know. Mark loved watermelon and hated ketchup. He had a habit of laughing at nothing, making his face scrunch up in a way that should have made him less handsome(but didn’t) and was easily flustered. Despite being in the same grade as Donghyuck, he was nearly a year older, being one of the oldest in the grade while Donghyuck was among the youngest.  He won their brief battle over who would take the check, and he tipped the waitress well.

As they left the diner, laughing loudly over something Taeyong had said earlier, Donghyuck thought that they could be really good friends– if they didn’t hate each other, that is.

“You got any music?” Donghyuck, asked from the passenger seat of Mark’s car. 

Mark’s phone was already connected to the bluetooth in his car, so he unlocked it and tapped on his music library before handing it over. “Knock yourself out.”

They had gone to the diner together, leaving Donghyuck’s car in the school parking lot. The drive there had been silent and awkward, but the return trip to drop Donghyuck off at his car was already much more pleasant. Mark was almost appalled at how much he had enjoyed his time with the younger boy; Donghyuck had been just as funny and enjoyable to be around as everyone had always said, and Mark really hated being wrong.

“I’m not sure what I expected,” Donghyuck quirked an eyebrow as he scrolled through the mismatch of genres ranging from Disney to hard rock that was Mark’s playlist, “but it wasn’t this.”

Mark laughed. “Yeah, putting my music on shuffle sometimes gives me whiplash.”

Donghyuck selected a Michael Jackson song and sang along enthusiastically, while Mark laughed at the other boy’s sound effects. 

Donghyuck seemed content to leave the playlist on shuffle, and the next song was Guns and Ships from Hamilton. Mark didn’t even notice he had begun rapping along, perfectly hitting every syllable, until after the first verse, when he noticed Donghyuck staring at him. 

“What?” Mark asked, self-conscious.

“Just– wow,” Donghyuck said. “I never knew you could rap.”

Mark felt his ears heat up. It couldn’t even be called a complement, but any word from Donghyuck that wasn’t laced with venom felt like a gift that should be treasured. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled. Donghyuck snorted in response, but didn’t argue.

They neared the school as the first notes Ed Sheeran’s ‘Daisies, Daisies' floated from the speakers. Donghyuck began to sing along, and Mark joined him as they turned into the parking lot. Mark’s deeper tone contrasted against Donghyuck’s bell like voice.

“Hey, Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“Why aren’t you in choir?”

“It’s just not really my thing,” he answered automatically. 

“You have the Vienna Boys’ Choir on your playlist,” Donghyuck deadpanned, and Mark winced. He had him there.

Why wasn’t he in choir? He got along with the people and the director, he liked to sing, so why? Mark knew the answer almost before he had formulated the question in his head: he wasn’t in choir because he didn’t think he was good enough. One of Mark’s biggest flaws, according to Doyoung, was being too hard on himself. He couldn’t be happy with himself until he was the best, and he knew that if he joined choir, he wouldn’t be; it was as simple as that. He had actually considered auditioning for chamber choir last year, but had erased his name from the sign up list the day before, too afraid of failure to even try.  

Mark tried to voice this, but all he could manage was, “I’m not good enough.”

Donghyuck’s eyes narrowed, and Mark felt exposed, as if the other boy could see through him like he was made of glass. “You and I both know that’s not true. You’re Mark Lee, the perfect Golden Boy.” The familiar bite had returned to Donghyuck’s honeyed voice, and Mark stiffened, automatically growing defensive.

“Don’t call me that.”

Donghyuck ignored him. “Are you _afraid?_ Too scared to fail? Too scared of not being the best for once?” Donghyuck’s words slapped Mark in the face, echoing the cruel voices in the back of his mind. “Coward.”

Mark snapped. “I didn’t hear you calling me that when _I_ had to _rescue you.”_ Mark regretted then words as soon as they tore out of his throat, burning like acid. He wanted to take them back, but it was too late. Donghyuck’s expression hardened into something brittle and cold, like frost encasing a flower.

“I’m not weak. I never asked for your help,” Donghyuck spat, swiftly exiting the car and slamming the door behind him. Before Mark could do anything, Donghyuck was in his own vehicle, careening out of the parking lot. Mark rested his head against the steering wheel. This was a terrible moment to come to the gut-wrenching realization that he most definitively did not hate Donghyuck, but Mark never was great with timing.  _God damn it._

 

 

Donghyuck ignored the texts from Yangyang and Jeno, asking about the pseudo-date, and went straight to his room, flopping face first onto his bed without bothering to take off his shoes. In the privacy of his own room, he allowed the hot, angry tears to flow. It scared him how much the interaction upset him; he was no stranger to fighting with Mark, they had been at each other’s throats for years, but those few words stung so much more. Donghyuck had let his guard down, and Mark had seen him at his most vulnerable, and then hit him in his vulnerability. Donghyuck knew it was mostly his fault though; he had thrown the first punch, drawn first blood, goaded Mark into attacking back.

Donghyuck had felt comfortable and happy in Mark’s company, and that had scared him. He had been unguarded, defenseless, and it had been terrifyingly unfamiliar. So, he had lapsed into what felt comfortable, easy, and familiar: animosity. Over the years, Donghyuck had learned the best ways to make Mark fight back, the exact buttons to push to _make_ the other boy hate him. The familiar dynamics had slipped over the course of the evening, and Donghyuck put them back in place with a few well-placed blows. Everything was back to normal, but Donghyuck didn’t feel normal; he felt awful, and his carefully constructed fortress of spite and barbed words brought him no comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the date thing is actually something my high school theater teacher did  
> Please leave a comment or kudos, I'm a sucker for validation from strangers on the internet  
> TYSM FOR 100+ KUDOS


	6. Sadness Is Without Limit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so short but the next chapter is a big deal so I wanted to split it up. The next update will be soon, I promise!

 

_There is no measure in the occasion that breeds;_

_therefore the sadness is without limit_

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act I Scene III)_

 

Jaemin huffed as he flopped down next to Jeno on the floor of the choir room, dropping his lunchbox unceremoniously to the ground. 

Jeno glanced up, raising an inquisitive eyebrow, but didn’t speak.

“Back again?” Chenle asked by way of greeting.

“Are you not excited to be blessed by my presence?” Jaemin quipped back, but he knew what Chenle meant; Jaemin didn’t often spend his lunch period in the choir room, and yet he’d chosen to sit there three times this week already.

Renjun appeared on Jeno’s other side, setting down his lunch with a long-suffering sigh. “You too, huh?” he mumbled to Jaemin, who replied by nodding and rolling his eyes.

Jeno glanced back and forth between them. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company,” he began, making Jaemin’s heart leap (because _oh god_ did _Jeno actually like his company?_ ), “but you guys don’t normally sit here that often. What gives?”

“It’s Mark,” Renjun grumbled. Jeno looked confused, but Renjun didn’t seem inclined to explain further, so Jaemin jumped in.

“Ever since the date,” Jaemin glanced around, checking that a certain tan-skinned boy hadn’t arrived yet, “you know, with Donghyuck?” Jeno nodded, dark eyes locked on Jaemin’s. Jaemin struggled to keep his focus on the conversation. Who cared about Mark when Jeno was looking at him with his big, dark eyes, and–

Renjun coughed pointedly, a thoroughly unimpressed look on his face, and Jaemin blinked. He couldn’t recall what they were talking about. Thankfully, Renjun pulled Jeno’s focus off of a very embarrassed Jaemin by picking up where Jaemin had left off.

“Ever since then, Mark’s been moody as hell. Jaem and I come here when we get sick of it.”

Chenle and Jisung, who had apparently been listening in, snickered behind their hands. “Sounds like someone we know,” Chenle remarked.

“Oh, speak of the devil,” Jisung added, looking at the door.

Jaemin followed his gaze to see Donghyuck slink through the door, shoulders hunched, all his usual bluster gone. The conversation hushed as Donghyuck took a seat on the floor between Yangyang and Dejun. That was odd; Donghyuck’s usual place was next to Jeno. Come to think of it, Jaemin hadn’t seen him here at all on the other days he’d eaten lunch in the choir room that week.

Jaemin felt Jeno shift beside him, leaning closer. Ignoring the thrill of Jeno’s arm brushing his, Jaemin focused on the words, spoken soft enough that only Jaemin would hear.

“He’s been like that all week.” There was a note of worry in Jeno’s voice. Jaemin could understand the concern; while Jaemin was used to Mark having off days on occasion, he didn’t think he had ever seen Donghyuck so dull. "He won't even talk to me about it."

“Do you think something happened on the date?” Jaemin mused, lowering his voice to match Jeno’s volume. “Maybe they fought or something?”

“They fight all the time,” Jeno observed, “and it’s never affected either of them like this.”

“Yeah...” Jaemin hummed, eyeing Donghyuck’s cowed posture, “But I’m working on a theory…”

 

 

Donghyuck loved Halloween, but he had really dropped the ball this year. Normally he would begin planning his costume in September, scouring the internet for the perfect gloves or mask, searching local thrift stores for clothing pieces he could use. He prided himself on never buying the cheap ready-made costumes from pop-up Halloween stores. This year, however, he had been so busy with school and rehearsal that he found himself without a costume a few days before Halloween.

“It’s not a big deal, I don’t have a costume either,” Jeno insisted.

“You always get yours last minute though,” Donghyuck pointed out. 

They were seated side by side on Donghyuck’s bed after rehearsal, Donghyuck half-heartedly trying to brainstorm and huffing at Jeno’s lackluster suggestions. It was a good distraction from the jumble of bad feelings that had been plaguing Donghyuck since Friday, but he couldn’t quite grasp his usual enthusiasm for the holiday. Jeno seemed to have noticed, but Donghyuck ignored his worried glances. He didn’t want to talk to anyone about it, not even Jeno. He would much rather focus on Halloween.

This year was a lucky occasion that October 31st was on a Saturday, meaning that the Halloween Dance would be held on the holiday itself. “I can’t believe I forgot,” Donghyuck groaned.

“Let’s just be vampires or something,” Jeno suggested disinterestedly.

“That’s so _boring,_ ” Donghyuck complained.

“We could make it not boring,” Jeno insisted.

“Everything you do is boring, Jeno.”

Jeno huffed. “ _You_ could make it not boring, then. Come on Hyuck, I’ll let you do my makeup.”

Donghyuck perked up considerably at that. “Oh my god, you’d look so sexy with eyeliner! I bet Jaemin would love that,” he winked.

Sure, vampires weren’t as original as Donghyuck usually went for, but it would be easy to put together with clothes he already had, and with rehearsals almost every day, he didn’t really have time to go shopping.

By the time Jeno returned to his own home that night, Donghyuck had an Amazon order of two sets of individual costume fangs set to be delivered on Friday, just in time for the dance.

 

 

Rehearsals sucked, to put it mildly. Mark and Donghyuck hadn’t spoken a word to each other, other than their lines, since the catastrophic date, and their scenes together were more awkward than ever. Doyoung seemed to be at his wits end as the two leads skirted around each other, avoiding eye contact and flinching away from touch. They’d been chewed out several times, but Mark couldn’t bring himself to hold Donghyuck’s gaze for more than a few seconds; every time he looked at the other boy, he could see the hurt expression that had flashed across his face. The look in his eyes had been so similar to the raw helplessness Mark had seen on the day he drove a trembling Donghyuck home, and Mark hated himself, hated that he had been the one to make the sparkle in Donghyuck’s eyes flicker out.

The guilt ate away at him. His friends noticed, asked what was wrong, but he didn’t want to talk about it. It was selfish, but he didn’t want his friends to know what a jerk he’d been, especially since all of his friends were close with Donghyuck. They would probably scold him, and as much as he deserved it, he figured his own mind was scolding him well enough.

On Friday, a week after the date, the fight, Mark was slumped in a seat in the auditorium, script open in his lap. He didn’t really need to go over his lines, but he wasn’t needed on stage at the moment and he didn’t want to join Jungwoo and Jaemin chatting with Lucas like he usually did.

Someone sank into the seat beside him, and Mark glanced up from the page to see Jeno looking at him with an uncharacteristically serious expression. 

“Hey man, what’s up?” Mark greeted. He liked the stage crew boy quite a lot, and they were on friendly terms– not as close friends as Mark would like, honestly. He suddenly realised how stupid it was that his fued with Donghyuck kept him from spending time with Jeno, among others. Just another thing for Mark to feel stupid about.

Jeno returned Mark’s forced smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Look, Mark,” he began with a sigh, “Hyuck’s been acting weird lately, ever since last Friday… am I wrong to assume that something happened between you two?”

The slump of Mark’s shoulders as his gaze dropped to his lap was answer enough.

“Maybe it’s not my place to say this, but you guys need to fix it, whatever it is.” Jeno’s voice was firm. “It’s not just about you two, you’re affecting the entire cast, the entire show.”

Mark nodded glumly. “I… I’ll try.”

Jeno clapped him on the shoulder as he stood up. “Thanks Mark. You know, we should talk more often.” His smile was genuine and Mark found himself smiling back. “See you at the dance tomorrow,” Jeno said before slipping backstage.

Mark groaned; he had completely forgotten about the dance. It was a good thing that Lucas had made him buy his costume last week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is just 1.5k of angst sorry~~ the next chapter will be the Halloween dance


	7. Every Word Stabs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me longer than expected to update, sorry! I just started a new(full time) job and my house is being remodeled so life's just been crazy. I hope you think this chapter was worth waiting for ^-^ leave a comment to let me know what you think!

  
  
_I stood_

_like a man at a mark, with a whole army shooting at_

_me. She speaks poniards, and every word stabs._

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act II Scene I)_

 

 

“Stop twitching!”

“Stop stabbing me!” Eyes watering slightly as Donghyuck dragged a pencil over his lashline, Jeno was starting to regret allowing his best friend full reign over his face.

“Okay, you can open your eyes,” Donghyuck said at last, and Jeno blinked up at his friend’s satisfied expression. Donghyuck had already finished his own makeup, sultry eyeshadow complimenting his freshly dyed silver hair, which Jeno had helped him accomplish after rehearsal the previous night.

Donghyuck set the eyeliner pencil down on his desk and snatched up the plastic box containing two individual false fangs. “Say ah,” Dongyuck cooed and Jeno rolled his eyes. He obediently opened his mouth anyway. Donghyuck was looking more cheerful than he had in a week, and if Jeno had to play dress up to make his best friend smile again, that’s what he’d do.

Jeno ran his tongue over the plastic prosthetics slipped over his own canines as Donghyuck snatched a tube of mouth-safe fake blood from the desk, using a small makeup brush to coat Jeno’s lower lip in the sticky substance and slightly downwards, forming drips that traveled slightly down Jeno’s chin.

Donghyuck stood back to admire his handiwork, grinning. He shoved Jeno towards the mirror that covered the back of Donghyuck’s bedroom before picking up a hand mirror and his own set of fangs.

Jeno looked himself up and down in the mirror. While Donghyuck had gone for a more traditional, aristocratic look, Jeno’s outfit was more casual. Donghyuck had had a field day sorting through Jeno’s closet pulling out items he hadn’t known he owned. Despite his initial protests, Jeno had to admit, as he looked in the mirror, that Donghyuck knew what he was doing.

A black turtleneck sweater hugged his torso far tighter than anything Jeno usually wore(which was probably why it was tucked in the back of his closet), and his black jeans were almost indecently skinny and flashes of skin peeked through thin rips on the knees and thighs, but Jeno felt surprisingly confident in the getup. Donghyuck had done wonders with the makeup as well, emphasizing Jeno’s jawline and the hollows of his cheeks for that dead vampire look. The eyeliner made his eyes intense and piercing, and his eyebrows were darkened, altogether creating an intimidating effect. This was destroyed as Jeno beamed at Donghyuck, his eyes forming crescents that even the sharp fangs couldn’t combat.

“Hyuck, you really outdid yourself.”

Donghyuck grinned, the points of his own fangs glinting. “Jaemin’s gonna pass out when he sees you.”

Jeno blushed.

 

 

 

“Masks off and school IDs out,” the bored administrator said. Mark pulled the fabric from his face and held out his card as the administrators checked them off.

It had been Lucas’s idea to dress as Marvel characters, and his enthusiasm was so high that the rest had no choice but to agree. Group costumes were fun anyways, and the sight of Lucas’ grin when his Thor costume came in the mail made it more than worth it. He had even donned a blonde wig and fake stubble to complete the look, and he waved his plastic Mjolnir around so enthusiastically that he’d accidentally hit Renjun, who had then confiscated the hammer until they arrived at the dance.

Jungwoo had insisted on being Black Widow because, as he said, “I make the prettiest girl out of all of us.” He was right, Mark had to admit. Jungwoo pulled off the red wig and black bodysuit better than most girls could.

Lucas had bullied Renjun into dressing as Ant-Man. It would be hilarious, he insisted, as Renjun was the smallest out of their group. Renjun only agreed because “Ant-Man has a cool suit anyways.” The Halloween store version of the suit was considerably less cool, but Mark decided not to mention that.

Jaemin and Taeyong had argued about who would be Captain America. Taeyong eventually let Jaemin have the right when the younger boy had nearly burst into tears, pleading that “You already have a boyfriend, Taeyong! I absolutely _have_ to look devastatingly handsome!”

Taeyong eventually agreed to be Iron Man instead, eventually becoming just as excited as Lucas when he found a glowing circle to stick to his chest.

No one questioned that Mark would, of course, be Spiderman. He tugged his mask back over his face as they entered the dance. He was wearing his contacts and had made sure to get a costume that didn’t hurt his visibility, so he glanced around, taking note of people he knew. He and Lucas laughed loudly as they caught sight of Yangyang, Hendery, and Dejun strutting around dressed as the Heathers.

Jaemin’s eyes widened as they caught on something across the room. “Oh my god. He’s actually trying to kill me.”

Mark followed his friend’s gaze to Jeno, whose black clothing hugged his toned body; He really did look dressed to kill. Mark’s eyes strayed to the person standing next to Jeno, and he felt his breath catch in his throat.

 Black dress pants were just tight enough to showcase long dancer’s legs, and black vest and slightly cropped suit jacket accentuated a slim waist. It was a borderline aristocratic look, in contrast to Jeno’s edgy outfit. The boy turned slightly toward Mark, and Mark’s eye trailed upwards to his face.

Donghyuck had dyed his hair, a gunmetal silver shade that contrasted beautifully with the golden sheen glimmering across his cheekbones, and styled away from his face, exposing delicate eyebrows and the smooth honey skin of his forehead. His eyes were shaded with black and grey, adding a sharpness to his usually soft appearance. Glossy red coated full, heart-shaped lips, a small drip artfully applied to the corner in imitation of blood. His lips caught the dim light as they quirked into a smile, revealing the tips of fangs.

Mark gulped and tore his eyes away from Donghyuck’s mouth, grateful that his mask hid his face, as his cheeks were probably flaming.

“Stop gawking and go talk to him,” Taeyong ordered, loud enough to be heard over the pulsing music, and Mark panicked for a moment that Taeyong had somehow read his thoughts, until he realised the comment was addressed to Jaemin.

Jaemin took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, which was styled back away from his face. “Okay, I’ve got this.”

Mark patted him on the back encouragingly. “Go get your mans, Jaem!”

Jaemin flashed a grin and started weaving his way through the crowd towards Jeno’s black-clad form.

Within five minutes, Mark’s little group of Avengers scattered. Taeyong had spotted Jaehyun and was currently clinging to his arm. Renjun had gone to talk to Chenle and Jisung, who were dressed as a clown and a mouse respectively. Jungwoo had been dragged off by Ten, leaving Mark and Lucas alone.

 It wasn’t long before Lucas spotted his girlfriend and shot Mark an apologetic look. Mark waved it off. He couldn’t blame Lucas for wanting to dance with his girlfriend, especially when Yuqi was looking incredible in a Sailor Moon costume. Mark watched fondly as Yuqi threw herself into her boyfriend’s embrace. They were probably his favorite couple at school, he mused. When they had first gotten together, Mark had worried that it would change the dynamics of their friend group, that Lucas would rather spend time with her than his other friends, but they were all relieved when Lucas continued eating lunch with them. Yuqi dropped by to say hello every so often, but she ate lunch with her own friends as well. They had a healthy relationship that wasn’t overbearing to others, and everyone appreciated it. It made Mark feel bad for spending so much time with Eunji when he had dated her freshman year.

Now alone in the crowd of dancing bodies, Mark skirted around the edge of the dance floor, his feet unconsciously carrying him in the direction Jaemin had gone earlier. 

The song ended, replaced with the familiar opening notes of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Mark turned at the sound of a loud whoop, and found Jaemin and Jeno laughing at a very excited Donghyuck, who apparently knew the entire choreography for the song.

Mark knew he was probably(definitely) being creepy, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of Donghyuck’s lithe form, effortlessly executing every step like he was born to do nothing but dance. Even in the dark, Donghyuck seemed to shine as brightly as he did beneath the spotlight, and Mark was captivated from the sidelines.

“Go talk to him, you hopeless mess,” came a voice from Mark’s left as the song ended, making him jump. He turned to find Taeyong fixing him with a stern glare.

“Why would I want to do that?” Mark tried to scoff.

“Because you’ve both been moping for a full week now, and the rest of us are sick of it,” Taeyong replied, giving Mark’s shoulder a forceful shove that knocked Mark directly into Donghyuck.

Mark immediately apologized, glancing over his shoulder to find Taeyong and give him a good smack, but the older boy had disappeared into the crowd.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Mark turned back to face Donghyuck and found the other boy smiling at him. Mark’s heart flipped. Had Donghyuck forgiven him? Then he remembered his mask; of course, Donghyuck didn’t know it was him. His face was covered and the music was so loud that just making out the words someone else was saying was hard enough, let alone trying to recognize the voice. 

The first notes of some sappy slow-dance song had begun to play, and Mark made the split-second decision that he didn’t want Donghyuck to go back glaring daggers at him just yet; so, he ignored the sensible option of revealing his identity. Instead, he said, “Dance with me?”

Donghyuck looked a little confused, but he shrugged and settled his hands on Mark’s shoulders, and Mark settled his own on Donghyuck’s slim waist. Mark barely caught himself from starting the dance combination from the show; his muscle memory knew how to dance with Donghyuck, but that was when they were Benedick and Beatrice. It was infinitely more nerve-wracking to sway slowly on the spot than it was to be distracted by choreography, because now Donghyuck was just Donghyuck and Mark was just Mark.

Of course, Donghyuck didn’t know that.

“So,” he started, flashing an awkward smile, “do I get to know who I’m dancing with?”

“A superhero never reveals his secret identity,” Mark replied. Donghyuck giggled, and Mark allowed his eyes to rove over Donghyuck’s face, how different it looked when relaxed and happy. So different from the hurt of a week ago.

Donghyuck’s smile broadened as his eyes flicked to the side. Mark followed the gaze and broke into a grin of his own(not that anyone could see). Jaemin had gathered Jeno into his arms, the intimidating effect of his outfit and makeup somewhat dampened by the bright blush blooming on his face. If Jaemin so much as glanced their way, Mark’s cover would be blown, but there was little worry of that. Jaemin had eyes for no one but the blushing boy in his arms, his expression full of wonder and glee. His smile was wide, but soft around the edges, as though he was melting just a bit. Jeno broke eye contact, flustered, and leaned his head on Jaemin’s shoulder instead, blush deepening, but his own smile was just was bright.

A light sigh brought Mark’s attention to the boy in his own arms. “I really hope they figure everything out,” Donghyuck said, eyes soft as he witnessed his best friend’s happiness.

“Me too,” Mark said, earnestly.

“So you’re friends with them too?” Donghyuck said, shrewd gaze returning to Mark’s mask as though he was trying to see through it. “Which means you’re probably someone I know from theatre.”

Mark huffed, slightly nervous. “Okay, Sherlock.”

Donghyuck grinned. “You’ve already given me so many clues.” Donghyuck ticked them off with his fingers, which still rested on Mark’s shoulder. “First, you’re an absolute nerd, I mean that secret identity line? Come on.” Mark held back a laugh; his laugh was distinctive enough to give him away. “Second, you basically confirmed that you’re in theatre.” Mark mentally slapped himself. “Third, you’re close with either Jeno of Jaemin. I’m guessing Jaemin ‘cause all Jeno’s close friends are my close friends and you aren’t any one them. So you’re probably one of, uh, Mark’s crowd.” Mark didn’t miss the momentary hesitation before Donghyuck said his name.

“You really don’t like m- uh, Mark, do you?”

“Well that’s no secret,” Donghyuck replied, tone just barely scathing, before catching himself. “Sorry, you’re friends with him, right? That’s fine. All my friends are too.” 

A lump in Mark’s throat prevented him from answering, and thankfully, the song ended. Donghyuck thanked him politely, face carefully void of expression, and slipped into the crowd. Mark glanced around, noticing that Jeno and Jaemin had disappeared as well.

He made his way to the edge of the dancefloor and leaned against a wall, tugging off his mask and taking a deep breath. He already knew that Donghyuck disliked him, but for the first time in two years of rivalry, hearing it hurt.

  
  


Donghyuck slipped like a ghost through the crowd, mood significantly dampened. The familiar gloom of the past week settled into his bones as he leaned against a wall, sipping a cup of watered-down punch.

A thin figure joined him against the bricks and Donghyuck turned to see Taeyong, a plastic Iron Man mask pushed off his face to the top of his head like a bizarre hat. The older boy sighed and raised an eyebrow at Donghyuck. “What happened this time?”

“What do you mean?” Donghyuck returned disinterestedly, turning his gaze back toward the dance floor. He caught sight of Lucas enthusiastically waving his hammer, blonde wig slightly askew.

“Mark,” Taeyong replied. “He’s been moping since he danced with you, and you don’t look much better.”

Donghyuck frowned, about to say that he hadn’t even seen Mark, much less danced with him, but his gaze caught on the glowing light on Taeyong’s chest. If Taeyong was Iron Man and Lucas was Thor… He let out a groan, leaning back on the wall behind him. That explained why the Spiderman boy’s hands had felt so familiar on his waist; they had danced together countless times during practice.

“Why do you hate him so much?” Taeyong asked, voice gentle and non accusatory. “Whatever he did wrong, I’m sure he’d apologise and try to make it right.”

Donghyuck laughed humorlessly. Mark probably would try to fix it, even though it wasn’t his fault. “Why do I hate him?” Donghyuck repeated, gazing into the dimly lit depths of the gym. “I hate him because falling in love with him was the only other choice.”

Taeyong was silent, which Donghyuck appreciated. Taeyong had a caring, calming, trustworthy disposition; maybe that was why Donghyuck had just told him something he’d never admitted to anyone else. After a minute where neither boy said anything, Taeyong wrapped Donghyuck in a hug before leaving without another word.

Donghyuck leaned his head back against the wall, letting his eyes slip shut as, for the first time in two years, he allowed himself to remember how it had felt to like Mark Lee.

Freshman Mark had been awkward and gangly, with glasses and braces and a voice that stumbled over words and cracked embarrassingly when he got nervous.He wasn’t really so different from Donghyuck, but Donghyuck had been better at hiding his insecurities. Donghyuck smiled to himself as he remembered how he had covered his fears with hair dye, followed makeup tutorials to paint his face with confidence. Donghyuck had trembled as he walked into his first day of high school, shaky hands gripping his backpack straps.He had promised himself that he would leave his insecurities in middle school, that he wouldn’t let himself be pushed around, but despite his resolve, he had glanced around, scanning for danger.

Donghyuck had nearly run right back out the door into the parking lot when he was approached by a boy with a strong jaw and stern eyebrows- but then the boy had smiled, harsh features melting into friendliness as his eyes crinkled into sweet crescents.

“I like your shoes,” the boy had said, gesturing to Donghyuck’s rainbow Converse, and from that moment on, Jeno and Donghyuck were best friends.

Donghyuck met Mark a couple weeks later, at auditions for the school play; they were in the same audition group. They didn’t speak, both being far too nervous, but Mark gave Donghyuck a timid, encouraging smile when the younger boy’s name was called, and Donghyuck’s heart had lurched in a way that was entirely unrelated to his general nervousness. 

As rehearsals began, Donghyuck found that awkward, gangling Mark Lee changed completely when he was on the stage. Donghyuck found himself glancing at Mark’s focused, confident expression as they learned the choreography. His determination never seemed to fade, even through endless repetitions of the same sixteen counts.

Donghyuck was smitten, but he was also afraid. The last time he’d had a crush, he’d been outed to his whole school and subjected to endless torture. But that couldn’t happen this time, right? He was already out, he had built a strong network of friends through theatre and choir, friends who accepted him. Still, Donghyuck was too afraid to do anything, simply watching Mark from afar, memorising the way his face lit up when he laughed.

It lasted for two months of silent daydreams; Donghyuck didn’t confide in anyone, not even his best friend(partly because Donghyuck suspected that Jeno was harboring a crush on him, and he didn’t want things to get messy). And then, Mark and started dating Eunji Ko from orchestra, and the small bubble of hope in Donghyuck’s chest burst. Of course, Mark was straight and Donghyuck was stupid– so stupid that he actually took the advice he’d once overheard Jaemin from the dance team tell a friend: _“try to hate him.”_

So Donghyuck had thrown himself head first into his new goal. Even as his naturally loving disposition stung with every barbed word he sent Mark’s way, even as his friends gave him confused looks, even as Mark, who was, by nature, sweet and non confrontational, narrowed his eyes every time he saw Donghyuck.

He only cried over Mark once, the day Mark had first been goaded to the point to snapping back. Donghyuck allowed himself one night of misery, replaying Mark’s sharp voice and angry expression, before he pulled himself together.

He pretended to hate Mark until he convinced himself it was true, but now, with the loud music of the dance thumping in his chest, he wasn’t convinced anymore.

Donghyuck blinked his eyes back open, a headache building. He couldn’t even bring himself to laugh at Yangyang, Hendery, and Dejun’s perfect rendition of the Candy Store choreography.

Donghyuck suddenly hated Halloween.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to pay homage to Jeno's outifit from the Want dance video, as well as Hyuck's silver hair(which I MISS). Hyuck is also wearing his suit from the Boom MV because Aristocratic Vampire Vibes. Extra points to anyone who caught the reference to Jaemin's drama ;)  
> Next update will be the Halloween dance from a Nomin point of view


	8. With A Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally hate writing angst why do I keep writing angst??  
> Thanks so much for all the nice comments! I know I don't reply to all of them(cause idk how to actually communicate with people??) but I read them all and they made me really happy ^-^  
> Also, this chapter brings us to 20k!!!🎉🎉🎉

_Speak, cousin; or, if you cannot, stop his mouth_

_with a kiss, and let not him speak neither._

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act II Scene I)_

 

Jaemin could hardly believe he wasn’t dreaming as he swayed slowly, hands on Jeno’s back as the black-haired boy buried his blushing face in Jaemin’s neck. Jaemin allowed his own eyes to slip closed as he basked in the feeling of holding Jeno in his arms, sweet-smelling hair tickling his neck. He knew he probably had an embarrassingly sappy look on his face, but he didn’t care. 

This was definitely not platonic, right? For Jeno to blush so brightly as Jaemin complemented his appearance? For Jeno’s breath to be ghosting over Jaemin’s collar bones as some pop singer crooned about stars and promises?

“Your heart is beating so fast,” Jeno chuckled, and Jaemin could feel the words as much as hear them, causing his breath to hitch.

“Is it?” Jaemin replied dazedly. He knew this was probably the perfect opportunity to drop some flirty line, but his mind was embarrassingly blank.

Jeno chuckled, his back moving slightly under Jaemin’s hands as he did. “That’s okay. I think mine is too.”

That was totally not platonic. 

Jaemin wished he could stay in that moment forever, breathing in Jeno’s intoxicating scent, feeling his comforting warmth, but the end of the song came too soon.

“Jeno,” Jaemin said in a burst of courage as the final notes of the song played, “I need to tell you something.”

Jeno lifted his head from Jaemin’s shoulder and drew back, his kohl-lined gaze unreadable in the low light. Jaemin immediately missed his warmth despite the heat of the gymnasium. 

“Okay.” There was hesitance in Jeno’s voice, sending a jolt of doubt through Jaemin. Maybe he had read the situation severely wrong. Maybe Jeno didn’t feel the same way and confessing would only ruin the friendship they’d built over the last couple of months. Maybe-

No. Jaemin had made up his mind. He had even told Renjun that he was planning on confessing tonight, and if he backed out now, he would never let him live it down. Renjun may have been small, but he was terrifying.

So Jaemin took Jeno’s hand in his, praying that his palm wasn’t as sweaty as if felt, and led the other boy out a side door of the gymnasium into a dimly lit hallway

“Jeno, I need to tell you something,” Jaemin began, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. Jeno looked apprehensive, and Jaemin’s courage nearly failed him, but he pressed on. “I-I really like you, Jeno, I’ve liked you for a long time, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same, that’s fine, we can still, like, be frie-”

Okay, Jaemin was _positive_ it was not platonic for Jeno to be pressing his lips against Jaemin’s

“Oh my god- I shouldn’t have- I have to-” Jeno’s eyes were wide as he backed away, and Jaemin felt a flash of determination and sheer panic. No way in hell was he letting Jeno slip away that easily.

Jaemin’s hand caught Jeno’s wrist, not roughly but strong enough to tug him back. Other hand finding Jeno’s shoulder, Jaemin pushed the other boy against the brick wall, letting go of Jeno’s wrist to cup his face instead. The skin beneath Jaemin’s fingers was warmed by the strength of Jeno’s blush, but his shoulders were tense and his gaze was fixed on some point over Jaemin’s shoulder.

“Jeno, look at me.” Jaemin’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “Jeno, please.”

Slowly, agonizingly, Jeno’s gaze traveled to Jaemin’s face.

“Can I kiss you?” Jaemin whispered, gaze traveling down from Jeno’s eyes to his lips, fake blood smudged and glistening. Jeno’s tongue nervously darted out to like his lips, and Jaemin swallowed dryly. He dragged his gaze back up to meet Jeno’s, finding pupils blown wide with fear, and something else.

“Please,” Jeno choked out, the word seemingly ripped from him against his will.

Jaemin leaned in, hands cupping Jeno’s jaw, tilting it up slightly, watching Jeno’s long lashes flutter shut. For a moment, they were still, breath mingling, tasting like hesitation and want.

Then, Jaemin closed the distance, softly settling his lips over Jeno’s, and it was like he was breathing for the first time. Jeno’s lips were soft, slightly sticky from the red gloss, and they tasted like comfort. 

The tension in Jeno’s shoulders gradually bled away, and he blossomed like a flower under Jaemin’s gentle touch as he slid one hand into the soft tendrils of hair on the back of Jeno’s neck, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

Jeno’s lips parted and Jaemin pressed tentatively closer, stars exploding in his chest as he slipped the tip of his tongue into Jeno’s mouth, swallowing the soft sound that Jeno made.

Jaemin froze for a split second when the tip of his tongue slid over Jeno’s fake fang, before deciding that was pretty hot and kissing him harder.

Jeno’s hands slipped up Jaemin’s chest, curling around his shoulders to pull him closer, kissing him with a fervor that made Jaemin gasp.

They only broke apart when one of Jeno’s fangs ended up in Jaemin’s mouth. Jaemin was ready to spit the offending piece of plastic out and continue where they left off, but Jeno seemed to have snapped back to reality.

“Oh god, I shouldn’t have- I can’t-” He pulled himself out of Jaemin’s embrace, ducking around him and backing away. His mouth and chin were a mess of smeared red, and Jaemin figured he didn’t look much better. “I’m so sorry,” Jeno choked out. Then, he turned and ran.

Jaemin stood rooted to the spot, a plastic tooth in his mouth, fake blood smeared across his lips, the taste of Jeno on his tongue, and a cold weight settling into the pit of his stomach.

 

**Lesbian thespians**

**Nojam:**

oh god i fucked up so bad

**Hyuck:**

bitch me too wtf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaemin asking permission to kiss Jeno even though Jeno kissed him first? That's h*t  
> Come yell at me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/see_thevision) or [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nctseethevision/)


	9. Seek Not To Alter Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> recommended song for this chapter: Not My Father's Son, from the musical Kinky Boots

_Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me._

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act I Scene III)_

 

 

The first week of November was easily one of the worst weeks of Jaemin’s life. Jeno was avoiding him, and he was incredibly good at it considering the amount of time they spent in the same place.

Jeno wasn’t answering his texts; Jaemin gave up on trying by Sunday night and resolved to talk to him in person on Monday, but that ended up being easier said than done. 

In English, the only class they shared, Jeno darted into the room just as the bell rang, immediately slipping into his desk and effectively eliminating any hope Jaemin had for cornering him before class. Jeno kept his gaze facing forward during the lesson, avoiding Jaemin’s pleading stare, and as his seat was near the exit, he was the first person out the door when the bell rang, while Jaemin, who sat in the back corner, was hemmed in by other students scrambling to pack their books away. By the time Jaemin made it to the hallway, Jeno was nowhere to be found,

Jaemin was determined to catch Jeno at lunch, but both he and Donghyuck were notably absent from the choir room, and not even Chenle, Jisung, or Yangyang had any idea where they had gone. Dejected and confused, he returned to the stairs by the auditorium.

Jeno even managed to avoid Jaemin at rehearsal, disappearing into the shadows backstage whenever Jaemin caught a glimpse of him.

The next day unfolded in the same manner, and the next. By Friday, Jaemin had all but given up. He still had no idea what he’d done wrong. Was he a bad kisser? Was he too flirty? Did Jeno hate him? But Jeno had kissed him first… Was he just really freaked out by the tooth thing?

Jaemin took minimal comfort in the fact that Mark was nearly as miserable as he was. Having a sulking buddy made everything marginally more bearable. Mark and Jaemin had swapped stories, both sympathetic but luckily too caught up in their own problems to try to meddle in each other’s.

Renjun, Jungwoo, and Lucas only knew minimal details on the events of Halloween, but they picked up on the mood quickly, wordlessly offering comfort. Taeyong seemed to know more than he let on, but he didn’t pry.

By lunch on Friday, however, Renjun seemed to have reached the end of his patience.

“Oh my god, can we all stop acting like we’re at a funeral?” he snapped. Mark and Jaemin both jumped, jerking out of their silent sulking. “I don’t know what the hell is going on with you,” Renjun continued, “and I’ve tried to be understanding, but at this point you both need to either fix what’s wrong, or get over it. And until you do, I’m eating in the choir room. I’m sure sure Jisung, Yangyang, and Chenle will appreciate the company since you two seem to have chased off Jeno and Hyuck.” He gathered up his lunch and strode off without another word.

Jaemin stared after him incredulously, glancing sideways at Mark, whose eyes were wide and mouth was slightly open in shock. He blinked a few times before sighing.

“Don’t you hate it when Renjun is right?”

 

 

Jeno settled more comfortably into the armchair, ignoring the creaking of the old leather. The prop hall wasn’t the most ideal place to eat(especially considering how many dusty rotary telephones he’d had to clear off the armchair before he could sit), but it was completely private. No one would think to look for him-- or Donghyuck-- up here.

Donghyuck seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “It’s lucky, you’re Doyoung’s favorite,” he mused. “He never would have lent me the keys.” The silver-haired boy was curled up on a pile of sofa cushions(they had no idea where the sofa itself was), picking at his sandwich moodily.

Jeno didn’t respond, and silence fell in the dusty hall. When Jeno closed his eyes, he could feel the memory of Jaemin’s touch, ghosting over his jaw, his neck, lips… He shivered, shutting down that line of thought with difficulty.

“You can’t avoid him forever, you know,” sadi Donghyuck, the only person that Jeno had told about the kiss.

“I know,” Jeno sighed. He knew Jaemin deserved better, deserved the truth, deserved someone who wasn’t terrified of being with him. Jeno was too afraid to give him any of those things.

Not yet.

 

 

Donghyuck was worried. It was nearly eleven o’clock. Jeno must have arrived at his dad’s house by now, but he hadn’t called. Maybe Donghyuck was overreacting; maybe Jeno had just forgotten. But he’d never forgotten before, not once. 

Donghyuck couldn’t sleep, despite how exhausting the day-- the whole week-- had been. Rehearsals had been torture, a new pang of guilt washing over him every time he looked at Mark. To make matters worse, Doyoung had scolded him, as well as Mark and Jaemin, for their dispondence. They were opening the show in less than a month, Doyoung reminded them, and time doesn’t wait for teenage angst. Jaemin had looked so tired, so miserable, that Donghyuck had wanted to scream at Jeno to _fix it god damnit!_ But he figured that would be a bit hypocritical.

The sound of his ringtone pulled Donghyuck from his musings. He was relieved to see Jeno’s contact flashing on the screen, but he frowned to see that it was a regular call, not a video chat.

“Jeno?” he answered the phone, confused.

“Hyuck.” The waver in Jeno’s voice immediately put Donghyuck on edge. “I’m outside, please let me in.”

Donghyuck immediately darted out of his bedroom door and down the stairs as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb his parents. He silently unbolted and opened his front door to find his best friend on the doorstep, looking similar to how he had when Donghyuck had found him shivering in the parking lot on Halloween.

Jeno’s shoulders were slumped, shaking with barely repressed sobs. Donghyuck took one look at Jeno’s tear streaked face before pulling him into a tight hug. For a few minutes, they just stood on the doormat, Jeno crying silently into Donghyuck’s shoulder as Donghyuck gently stroked his hair.

When Jeno’s shaking breaths seemed to be evening out, Donghyuck pulled away slightly, arm still around Jeno’s shoulder. “Let’s go to my room.” He gently led Jeno up the stairs.

Sitting on Donghyuck’s bed, Jeno took deep breaths until he seemed calmer. 

“Do you want to talk?” Donghyuck asked cautiously.

Jeno nodded. “Yeah.” His voice was raw from crying, but it was steady. “My dad kicked me out.”

Donghyuck blinked. “What?”

“Yeah.” Jeno swallowed. “I stayed late at rehearsal, and when I got home, he was drunk. He started shouting at me for coming home late. I tried to explain where I was, but that made him even angrier.” Jeno’s humorless smile broke Donghyuck’s heart. “He always wanted a son who would play football with him, not a theatre sissy like me. All that-- it wasn’t anything I’d never heard before. I could handle it. But then-- then, he started attacking _you.”_ Donghyuck’s stomach sank-- he thought he could see where this was going.

“He said I shouldn’t be hanging out with--” Jeno gulped, unwilling to repeat the slur his father had used, “people like you. He thought you might _taint_ me or something.”

“Jeno…”

“And I just lost it. I yelled right back at him, told him it didn’t matter, since I was already gay way before I met you.”

 _“Jeno.”_ Donghyuck’s eyes prickled with tears. Jeno, who hated conflict, who had always been terrified to come out to his father, had done that. To defend Donghyuck.

Donghyuck could feel his eyes filling with tears. He scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Jeno again.

“He told me to get out,” Jeno said to Donghyuck’s shoulder, voice small. “He never wants to see me again.”

“He doesn’t deserve to call himself your father,” Donghyuck said fiercely. “You’re so brave, Jeno. I’m so proud of you.”

The praise made Jeno break down again. Donghyuck rocked him comfortingly back and forth, murmuring soft words into his hair as Jeno’s tears slowly seeped into his sweatshirt.

By the time Jeno had cried himself to sleep and Donghyuck had settled him onto the bed, tucking him beneath the covers, it was almost two in the morning. Donghyuck looked at Jeno’s sleeping face and ached for his best friend. Jeno deserved nothing but happiness. If only Donghyuck could give it to him…

Donghyuck snatched his phone from his bedside table and scrolled through his contacts. His fingers hovered over Jaemin’s name for a moment before he changed his mind and scrolled further, slipping out the door as he tapped the call icon.

 

 

Mark groaned, fumbling for his phone. The bright screen told him that it was 1:53 AM, and that he had an incoming call from-- he squinted to make out the contact name-- _The Devil Himself._

Mark sat up, swiping the screen to answer the call.

_“Mark?”_

“What the hell, Donghyuck?” Maybe his greeting wasn’t particularly polite, but neither was calling someone in the middle of the night, so Mark felt in was quite within his rights to be annoyed.

_“Mark, you know what happened between Jeno and Jaemin, right?”_

“Yeah of course,” Mark responded, nonplussed. “Jaemin’s been miserable about it.”

_“So has Jeno. But I’m going to fix it, and you’re going to help me.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my sister: WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET THEM BE HAPPY  
> me: THE PEOPLE WANT ANGST  
> (P.S. the happiness will come, i promise)


	10. Live In Thy Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regular update schedule? Never heard of her.  
> It's 3 AM where I live oops

_I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy_ _eyes_

_-Act IV Scene II_

 

 

 

 

Jeno woke with a dull ache in his head and a strange lightness in his chest. He felt free-- free from his father’s expectations, free from dreaded weekend visits, free from the fear that hovered over him since he first realized his sexuality.

He also felt slightly squished. Donghyuck’s twin-sized bed was not built to hold two teenage boys, and Donghyuck was stretched out like a starfish, snoring softly. Jeno wriggled himself out from under Donghyuck’s limbs, eliciting a disgruntled grumble from the other boy.

Jeno noticed that his phone was nearly dead as he pulled it out to check the time, groaning when he saw how late he’d slept. He needed to get home and tell him mom what had happened.

“Hyuck,” he rasped, throat dry from all the crying he had done last night. “Hyuck, I need you to take me home.”

It took five whole minutes to wake Donghyuck, and another three to make him get out of bed. Jeno felt guilty as Donghyuck crawled out from under the blankets; it was Jeno’s fault he’d been up so late. 

Donghyuck blinked blearily up at him, eyes narrowing. “I know that look, Jeno Lee. Stop blaming yourself, I would have been up late whether or not your sorry ass showed up on my doorstep.”

Jeno smiled; his best friend knew him so well.

After receiving a pep talk from Donghyuck in the car, Jeno arrived home. He waved at his best friend one last time before entering his house.

As soon as Jeno disappeared from view, Donghyuck pulled out his phone and hurriedly shot off a text:

**The Devil Himself:**

Just dropped him off, be there soon

 

Donghyuck’s GPS guided him to the address Mark had sent him at 2 AM, a simple split-level house-- nice, but nothing flashy. He suddenly realised that he probably looked like a complete mess. He was wearing his pajamas, old sweats crinkled from sleep, he hadn’t combed his hair, and he wasn’t wearing a drop of makeup. He toyed briefly with the idea of going home to change, but shook himself. Mark had already seen the worst side of Donghyuck’s personality, so what did it matter if he _looked_ bad? It wasn’t like Donghyuck had anyone to impress, or anything to prove.

At least, that’s what Donghyuck told himself as he stood on the doorstep, desperately trying to smooth his sleep-rumpled clothes, and knocked on Mark’s front door.

The person who opened the door wasn’t Mark. This boy was older, much taller, and Donghyuck immediately grinned.

“Johnny!” Donghyuck cried, throwing himself into the older boy’s arms. He had completely forgotten that Johnny, a senior he made friends with during the musicals, was Mark’s stepbrother. He had decided to be the costume designer for Much Ado About Nothing rather than part of the cast, so Donghyuck hadn't seen as much of him so far this year.

“Oh my God,” Johnny laughed picking Donghyuck up and twirling him around as if he were nothing but a doll, “ _the_ Donghyuck Lee? In _my_ house? To see _my_ brother? What is the world coming to?” Johnny had always found the animosity between Donghyuck and Mark to be hilarious, and he doted on both younger boys for as long as Donghyuck had known him.

“I know, it’s tragic,” Donghyuck sighed dramatically, playing along. “But desperate times call for desperate measures

  


When Mark left his bedroom to answer the door, only to find his brother with an armful of tousel-haired Donghyuck on the welcome mat, he was annoyed. Johnny had always been close with Donghyuck, and Mark had always been bitter about it. In the past, he’d interpreted the feeling as anger that his brother, and many of his friends as well, were somehow siding with Donghyuck in their ongoing ‘feud,’ but a week of Donghyuck-induced moping had made him more self-aware.

Mark wasn’t upset that other people wanted to be friends with Donghyuck; he was upset that Donghyuck wanted to be friends with other people, and not with him. Mark supposed it was his perfectionist nature. He tried hard to be likable, so someone not liking him frustrated him.

“When you're done flirting with my brother, don’t we have a job to do?” Mark stepped forward, arms crossed, failing to keep a scowl off his face. 

Donghyuck’s smile faltered. “Yeah,” he mumbled, stepping away from Johnny, who said something about not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, and waved them upstairs.

Having Donghyuck in his bedroom was weird, Mark decided. The younger boy seemed to take up less space than usual as he gingerly took a seat on the edge of Mark’s bed. His rumpled sweatshirt hung off him in a way that made him look tiny. His silver hair was tousled and wavy, and his face was free of makeup, dark circles visible, but he didn’t look bad. Overall, he just looked small and soft.

Mark realised he was staring and tore his gaze away, fighting down a blush. He wanted to talk to Donghyuck, apologize for every mean thing he’d ever said, demand to know why Donghyuck hated him so much-- but no, this was not about him, or Donghyuck. This was about Jaemin, and Jeno. 

“Care to explain what this is all about?” Mark said, sinking onto his desk chair.

“Well I’m sure you’re aware that Jaemin has a huge, gross crush on Jeno?”

Mark groaned. “God, yes. It’s all I’ve been hearing about for at least ten months.”

Donghyuck smirked. “Right, well. Jeno also has a big, gross crush on Jaemin.”

Mark cocked his head. He had kind of thought that Jeno reciprocated Jaemin’s feelings, but then Halloween happened, which seemed to contradict that theory. “Why did he run away then?”

“He was just scared.” Donghyuck hesitated. “There was… something, that was making him scared.”

“Something? What thing?” Mark furrowed his brow, thinking it had better be a pretty damn good reason for the pain Jaemin had been through.

Donghyuck fixed him with a searching look, as if judging whether Mark was worthy of the truth. Eventually, he sighed. “I’m not sure I should be telling you this, but I suppose if you’re going to be in on this, you might as well know.” He fidgeted with the cuffs of his sweatshirt, which nearly covered his hands. “It’s… well, Jeno’s dad. He’s really homophobic, so Jeno was just scared. But,” Donghyuck shot him a meaningful glance, “I don’t think he’s going to be a problem anymore.”

Mark’s eyes widened. He knew Jeno’s parents were divorced, but he had no idea of _this._ He felt a pang for Jeno. Mark’s own father was absent from his life, but he didn’t miss him; he left when Mark was too young to remember once, and soon after, his mom had married Johnny’s father, who treated Mark as his own son. Mark had never felt the absence of a father figure. He couldn’t imagine how it must be for Jeno.

“Oh my god…”

“Good riddance,” Donghyuck spat, eyes fiery. He looked ready to march off and deck Jeno’s dad in the face. “Jeno’s better off without him.”

“So,” Mark searched desperately for something to say. “What does this have to do with Jaemin?”

The fire in Donghyuck’s dark eyes cooled, still visible, but now warm and playful. “We, my dear Benedick,” he said, face alight with mischief, “are going to finally give those idiots what they deserve: each other.”

 

 

Sunday found Jeno tucked comfortably into a seat by the window in his favorite cafe. It had been a long, difficult weekend. He spend most of Saturday, after explaining to his mom what had happened, trying to keep her from storming over to his house to give him a piece of her mind. She eventually settle for calling and leaving several angry voicemails. When her fury finally ebbed, she made Jeno some hot chocolate, bundled him up on the couch, and they spent the rest of the evening catching up on Queer Eye. Jeno had never been more grateful for his mom. When her excessive coddling continued through Sunday, Jeno become restless, so he jumped at the opportunity when Donghyuck texted him to meet at the cafe.

The bell on the door jingled merrily. Jeno looked up, expecting to see Donghyuck’s silver hair and mischievous grin, but instead of his best friend, Jeno found himself staring at none other than Jaemin Na. Jaemin met Jeno’s shocked gaze and his eyes went wide.

Jeno’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Donghyuck: _dont run away._ Jeno glanced back up to see Jaemin gazing at his own phone screen with a betrayed look on his face.

Jeno’s first instinct was to run, but Donghyuck would probably beat his ass if he did. Besides, he didn’t really have anything to run from now; he didn’t have to hide himself from his father anymore, so really the only thing left at this point was the fear that Jamein would hate him for ghosting him for a week. Jeno winced at the thought. Jaemin had every right to hate him, but he deserved an explanation. So, Jeno stayed at his table, gripping his coffee cup so hard that his knuckles turned white.

Jaemin moved toward Jeno’s table slowly, as if approaching a flighty animal. He seemed to relax slightly when Jeno returned his tentative smile.

“Hey,” Jaemin said, slipping into the chair opposite Jeno.

“Hey,” Jeno replied, thinking it was odd for them to act this shy considering that last week they’d practically had their tongues down each other’s throats. Jeno blushed furiously at the thought. He coughed nervously. “I was supposed to meet Donghyuck here,” he said, setting his phone on the table top, “but something tells me he’s probably not going to show up.”

Jaemin’s nervous smile widened a bit. “Yeah, I doubt Mark is coming either.”

Silence settled over the table. Jeno couldn't bring himself to look at Jaemin, instead choosing to study his hands until Jaemin spoke up.

“Jeno, I am so sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I swear I didn't mean to, oh god I’m so sorry-”

“Jaemin,” Jeno cut him off, looking up in a panic, “stop apologizing! You did nothing wrong. If anything, I should be apologizing to you.”

Jaemin’s eyes were wide. “You-- you aren’t mad at me.”

Jeno shook his head frantically.

“Then… why have you been avoiding me?”

Jeno took a deep breath. “I was just scared, Jaemin, god I’m so sorry, you didn’t deserve that. You  probably hate me now, I shouldn’t have--” 

He cut off abruptly when Jaemin’s fingers wrapped around his own to stop his fiddling. Without noticing, Jeno had been picking at his cuticles, as he always did when he was stressed.

“Jeno. Jeno, please look at me,” Jaemin said softly, echoing the words he had spoken on Halloween night. And just like that night, Jeno found it impossible to resist shifting his gaze to Jaemin’s dark, warm eyes. “I could never hate you, Jeno. Never.”

The softness of Jaemin’s voice, the way he cradled Jeno’s hand in his as though Jeno were precious beyond compare, almost made Jeno break down the way he had on friday night, when Donghyuck held him close and called him brave. It didn’t matter that Jeno’s father didn’t want him, because there were other, more important people in his life.

Jeno pushed down the tears and took a deep breath. “You deserve to know-- why I ran away,” he said. He gripped Jaemin’s hand tightly and told him everything.

Jaemin’s eyes were glistening with unshed tears by the time Jeno finished. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

“Stop apologizing,” Jeno said with a soft smile. “It’s okay. Better than okay, actually. There’s nothing stopping me now.”

“Stopping you from what?” Jaemin asked, confused.

“This.” Before Jeno could second guess himself, he leaned over the small table and pressed a kiss to Jaemin’s mouth. It was barely a peck, just a brush of lips, really, but it still made Jeno’s stomach flip and cheeks flush. Jaemin raised his fingers to his lips in shock, pink cheeks matching Jeno’s.

“I really like you, Jaemin,” Jeno said breathlessly, “I was just scared. But I’m not scared anymore. So, if you still want me…” he trailed off, glancing up and Jaemin from under his lashes.

Jaemin’s answering smile was blinding before he leaned forward, chasing after Jeno’s lips.

Some time later, as they were leaving(after having been half-congratulated, half-scolded for their PDA by the sweet old woman who ran the cafe), Jaemin pulled something out of his pocket. “By the way,” he said offhandedly, “did you want your tooth back?”

Jeno stared incredulously at the small piece of white plastic in Jaemin’s palm. “You _kept_ that?”

“I just realised how weird that is,” Jaemin said. 

“Have you,” Jeno said, fighting back laughter, “been carrying that around with you since last Saturday?”

“Shut up,” Jaemin said, voice slightly muffled, as he had the hand not holding the tooth covering his red face.

Jeno couldn’t help it; he burst out laughing. “That,” he wheezed, “is the _worst_ version of Cinderella I have ever heard.

Jaemin started laughing too, head thrown back and perfect teeth on full display. Standing there on the sidewalk, as a cold autumn breeze caused leaves to skitter along the concrete, Jeno felt full of glowing warmth.

 

 

 

Donghyuck poked his head over the top of the bush, squinting into his binoculars.

 “Why do you even _have_ binoculars,” mumbled Mark from beside him.

“Shut up,” Donghyuck snapped, sparing a moment to shoot Mark a glare before continuing to peer at the cafe across the street. “I think they’re holding hands? I can’t see past the windowsill… here, you look.” He shoved the binoculars in Mark’s face and settled down below the cover of the bush.

Grumbling, Mark rose to his knees and raised the binoculars to his eyes. “Yeah, it looks like they’re holding hands-- oh my god, Jeno just kissed him!”

“He _what?”_ Donghyuck screeched, nearly tackling Mark in his attempts to get the binoculars back. Mark yelped and hastily shoved them toward him.

Donghyuck straightened and fit the binoculars to his eyes just in time to see Jaemin cup Jeno’s face and lean in. “Oh my god!” Donghyuck squealed. “It’s happening! It’s actually happening!” He laughed delightedly. “Mark! We did it!”

Mark was laughing too when Donghyuck lowered the binoculars and turned to grin at him. His face was scrunched from the force of his smile. Since they weren’t at each others throats at the moment, Donghyuck figured now was as good a time as any.

“Let’s make a truce?” Donghyuck said hopefully, sticking his hand out into the no-man’s land between him and Mark.

The laughter on Mark’s face melted away, replaced with confusion. “What?”

Donghyuck resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m sick of fighting with you, Mark Lee. So let’s stop.”

Mark raised an eyebrow, distrustful. “Who are you and what have you done with Donghyuck Lee?”

Donghyuck huffed. “I can easily cancel the offer--”

“No!” Mark seized the hand that Donghyuck had started to retract. “No, I want that.” His ears were red but his eyes were wide and earnest. _Cute,_ Donghyuck’s brain supplied. _Shut the hell up,_ he told it, but he smiled. 

“Friends?”

“Friends,” Mark replied with a grin, and they shook hands. “Took us long enough,” Mark added, laughing.

Mark had changed significantly over the past two years. He’d traded his blocky glasses for contacts; he’d grown into his gangly limbs; his shoulders were broader and his arms much less noodly; his cheekbones and jawline were more defined. But despite every change, when he laughed like that, head thrown back and nose scrunched, he looked exactly the same.

 _Shut up,_ Donghyuck scolded his brain.

 

 

**Lesbian thespians**

**Hyuck:**

JENO HAS A BOYFRIEND THE SHIP HAS SAILED

THIS IS NOMINS WORLD AND WE’RE JUST LIVING IN IT

**Nojam:**

Hyuck what the hell

**yangx2:**

A boyfriend? I was gonna get me one of those

**Dolphin:**

What did ya do with the one ya had?

**Mochi:**

He traded him for a pack of cigars

**yangx2:**

Hey, they was coronas

**Nojam:**

????????

**yangx2:**

Its from newsies you uncultured swine

**Mochi:**

Even i knew it come on

But anyway

Its jaemin right?

**Nojam:**

…..

Yeah

**Dolphin:**

THATS SO CUTE OMG ASHDFHKG AAAAAAAAA

**Nojam:**

…..

Thanks

 

**Taeyong’s Children**

**Nana:**

Bitches really out here being in love and having boyfriends

Its me im bitches

**Moomin:**

FINALLY GOD DAMN

**Lukiss:**

YEAH BRO GET IT

**Snoopy:**

Awwwww congrats

**TYtrack:**

My little baby is growing up

**Mork:**

Youre welcome ;)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the least angsty chapter so far, I think. Finally some resolution! What did you think of this chapter? Let me know in the comments


	11. Attired In Wonder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's already been three months since I started this fic wowwww

 

_For my part, I am so attired in wonder,_

_I know not what to say._

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act IV Scene I)_

 

 

Doyoung was stressed out of his mind, and it was only Wednesday. Opening night was looming closer and closer, less than two weeks away now. Claudio and Leonato were still missing costume pieces, one of the walls for the ballroom set had fallen over, and Benedick and Beatrice spent all of last week refusing to even look at each other. Granted, they had been much better so far this week, for some reason, but their dynamic was so unpredictable that it made Doyoung nervous. If there was anyone at the school who could calm him down, it was Taeil, so at lunch he made his way to the choir classroom. He paused at the doorway, eye catching on something entirely unexpected. 

Donghyuck was sitting pressed against Mark's side, head nestled comfortably on the older boy's shoulder. Mark's hand rested on Donghyuck's thigh, absent-mindedly fiddling with the rips in his jeans as he scrolled through his phone, occasionally tilting the screen to show something to the younger boy. They seemed entirely unaware that every student in the room was watching them with various degrees of confusion evident on their faces. 

Jeno was the first to notice the theatre teacher standing in the doorway. "Hey Doyoung," he called casually, one of the only people who seemed unsurprised by Mark and Donghyuck's sudden closeness. Jaemin looked up as well, looking equally unphased. Doyoung noticed that he and Jeno were holding hands.

"Mr. Moon's in his office," Jaemin said, reminding Doyoung why he was here in the first place. Taeil was sitting at his desk, watching the students through the open door of his office with the expression of a wildlife expert observing a particularly fascinating species.

"What on earth happened since last week?" Doyoung asked bemusedly, settling into the extra chair by Taeil's desk. “How did those two go from plotting each other’s deaths to _kanoodling_ in four days?”

Taeil smiled faintly. "It's an interesting story that Donghyuck told me yesterday. Apparently he and Mark got Jeno and Jaemin together and became friends in the process.”

Doyoung processed that for a moment before sighing. "Well, let’s just hope they can keep it up at least until the show closes."

  
  


Mark soon decided that being Donghyuck's friend was infinitely better than being his enemy. The younger boy still teased him mercilessly, but cold bitterness was replaced by laughter and a warm sparkle in Donghyuck's eyes.

Mark also discovered that Donghyuck was incredibly tactile towards his friends. He had almost jumped out of his skin the first time Donghyuck slung an arm around his shoulders, the younger boy laughing at his stunned expression.

"This is what you signed up for, Mark Lee," Donghyuck laughed, attempting to kiss Mark on the cheek. Mark yelped and pushed the younger boy away, face burning.

It took a surprisingly short amount of time for the previous enemies to settle into a comfortable dynamic. Mark even found that he didn't really mind Donghyuck's constant skinship as much as he thought; it was actually kind of nice.

The first time Mark ate lunch in the choir room, on Tuesday, he could feel the eyes on him the moment he crossed the threshold. The last time he'd come in here at lunch was the day after the cast list went up, when he and Donghyuck had argued. This time, Donghyuck beckoned him over with a bright smile.

"Bold of you to show your face in my domain," he said, but his expression was delighted.

Mark grinned and sat down, looking around at the group. It was weird to see all his friends in one place, but it felt right, like a puzzle piece sliding into place. From that day on, the auditorium stairs were deserted.

Things improved in rehearsal, too. Doyoung even commented that their stage chemistry was better than ever, and joking around with Donghyuck backstage became one of Mark's favorite pastimes. Now that their friend groups had merged, Mark noticed that Jaemin and Jeno were practically joined at the hip. They were so disgustingly sappy that Mark almost regretted getting them together.

"This is all your fault," he remarked to Donghyuck when they walked in on the couple making out in the boy's dressing room yet again. 

Donghyuck hurriedly backed out of the room, closing the door to block the view of Jaemin trying to stick his tongue down Jeno's throat. "I wanted to get my best friend a boyfriend, not a face-sucking parasite," he grumbled with a vaguely nauseated look on his face, but Mark knew that Donghyuck, like himself, was happy for the pair.

With both of their best friends occupied with each other, Mark and Donghyuck spent more and more time together, and within a week of officially becoming 'friends,' Mark could barely believe they'd spent two years at each other's throats. Rehearsals had started running later, and that meant Mark spent several hours a day with Donghyuck, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t wish they’d become friends sooner. He’d been missing out on Donghyuck’s company for a long time.

  


"It's snowing!" someone yelled at dinner Thursday(during late rehearsals parent volunteers fed the helpless high schoolers), and it was instant pandemonium. Plates of spaghetti were abandoned on the floor as the entire cast and crew made a mad dash for the back doors. Jaemin thought no one in their right minds would be _this_ excited over the first snow of the year, but they were all sleep deprived theatre kids--definitely not entirely sane-- so he joined the stampede and burst out into the cold. It must have been snowing for at least an hour before they noticed; the grass was already covered in a light blanket of white.

Chenle was screaming and jumping up and down, screeching like an excited dolphin, while Jisung stood next to him with his head tilted back and his mouth open, trying to catch the fluffy flakes on his tongue. Donghyuck was chasing Mark, intent on stuffing handfuls of snow down the older boy's shirt, and Mark was yelling for someone to help him escape(his pleas went ignored, as no one wanted Donghyuck to target them instead). Jaemin watched the scene unfold with fondness as his breath puffed out in frozen clouds. He was so glad he joined theatre, it was like having a family away from home.

A warm arm snaked around Jaemin's waist, and he turned to grin at Jeno, snuggling into his boyfriend's warmth.

"It's beautiful," Jeno murmured, gazing at the snowflakes swirling in the dark sky, lit up by the light streaming out of the double doors.

"Yeah, beautiful," Jaemin replied, watching the way the little white specks reflected in Jeno's dark eyes. Jeno turned to find Jaemin already looking back at him and smiled, eyes crinkling into perfect crescents that melted Jaemin's heart despite the cold.

"That was cheesy." Jeno poked Jaemin's side, making him squirm.

"You love it."

"Yeah, I do." Suddenly, Jeno grasped Jaemin's hand and twirled him around. Jaemin laughed delightedly and pulled Jeno in until their chests were pressed together. He pressed a kiss to the tip of Jeno's cold nose.

He tried to pull away, but Jeno tugged him back in for a proper kiss.

"Can you please go be disgustingly in love somewhere else?" Renjun huffed.

Jaemin and Jeno turned to their friend with matching grins. "Nope," Jaemin replied, popping the 'p.' "Blame Donghyuck."

"And Mark," Jeno added.

The mentioned pair weren't paying attention, too busy tussling on the ground. Donghyuck had apparently succeeded in stuffing snow down the back of Mark's shirt, and Mark had tackled him in retaliation.

"Okay everyone, get inside," called Taeyong from the doorway. "Finish your dinner and get warmed up, for heaven's sake. We open next week and we don't want any of you getting sick!"

"Yes, _mom_ " everyone chorused as they trouped inside, wet and shivering, but happy.

Jaemin watched as Donghyuck and Mark brushed bits of snow and grass from each other's shirts, still bickering but both grinning broadly.

"I think I’m seeing that sexual tension you were talking about," Jeno whispered, arm still looped around Jaemin's waist.

Jaemin grinned, the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind.

  
  


 

"I'll pass out the study guides now. Don't forget that the test is on Monday!"

Mark groaned internally. To his left, Donghyuck groaned not-internally and slumped forward across the desk. At some point in the past week, the younger boy had moved from his usual spot next to the window to the empty seat beside Mark. Their teacher, used to their constant bickering, had raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"This is homophobic," Donghyuck grumbled, flipping through the pages of equations. 

Mark looked at his own study guide."How is this homophobic?"

"I'm gay and it's inconveniencing me." Donghyuck glared at the study guide as though he wanted to light it on fire just by looking at it.

Mark studied the dark circles under Donghyuck's eyes that he evidently hadn't bother to cover with concealer like he usually did. The younger boy kind of looked like a mess, but Mark figured he probably didn't look much better. He hadn't bothered to comb his hair, and his tired eyes had rejected his contacts, so he was wearing his round, wire rimmed glasses. He kind of felt like he'd been hit by  a bus.

This past week of later rehearsals, staying at the school until eight or nine every night, and then having to finish their homework afterwards, was getting to all of them. Jaemin had told him that he'd fallen asleep in English three times this week. It was finally Friday, but the weekend offered no promise of rest, as Saturday was Tech Day-- a twelve hour, 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM rehearsal to add light and sound cues to the show. Honestly, tech day was usually a party; everyone wore pajamas and brought pillows, blankets, and card games, and they were fed lunch and dinner by parent volunteers, but now Mark would have to spend any time he had offstage studying for a math test. Mark followed Donghyuck's example and slumped against his desk with a yawn.

Math might not be homophobic, but it was theatre-kid-phobic, and honestly that was pretty much the same thing.

  


 

When Mark walked into the auditorium at 9:55 AM on Saturday, he nearly tripped over a sprawling mass of pajama-clad limbs and fuzzy blankets.

"Mark!" a voice called from the floor, "Come join the cuddle puddle." Mark scanned the area to locate Donghyuck, who was clinging koala-like to Yangyang.

 In general, Mark wasn't a particularly cuddly person. He didn't really show physical affection to his friends, with the exception of Jungwoo, because no one with half a heart could resist Jungwoo's puppy eyes(as evidenced by the fact that he was in the direct center of the cuddle puddle, looking perfectly content to be nearly smothered by the number of people resting their heads or limbs on him. In fact, Mark suspected that this whole mess was probably his fault). Unfortunately, as Mark had already learned in the past week, Donghyuck also possessed a pout capable of making people do crazy things, so Mark found himself on the floor, squished between Donghyuck and Jaemin, muttering "Puppy eyes should be illegal."

Donghyuck immediately released his hold on Yangyang(who scooted a few inches to rest his head on Chenle's thigh), and wrapped himself around Mark instead, resting his head on Mark's chest as though they'd been friends for years rather than a week. This was way outside Mark's comfort zone, but it wasn't unpleasant. Donghyuck was warm and soft and not being loud for once.

Mark felt an elbow in his ribs and turned his head to see Jaemin waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

 _Shut up,_ Mark mouthed.

Jaemin responded by making ridiculous kissy faces, but the next moment, Mark was rescued by the arrival of Jeno, who crawled directly on top of his boyfriend and effectively distracted him.

Mark had almost dozed off by the time Doyoung shouted that it was time to get started, and the cuddle puddle dispersed with several groans as they pulled themselves back to their feet. Donghyuck continued to cling to Mark even while they were standing, only detaching himself when Doyoung clapped his hands and called places for Act I Scene I.

Writing cues was a long, tedious process. Every time they reached a part in the script that required sound, a set piece moving, or a change in lighting, Taeyong would shout from the tech booth and everything would pause while he and Yerim wrote the cues into their scripts and saved them into the sound board and the light board. Then, the actors would rewind the scene and do it over again with the cues a few times to make sure it was seamless. It went faster than it usually did for musicals since there weren’t any musical numbers to worry about, but by the time they took a break for lunch at one, they had barely reached Act III.

"Have you studied for that test?" Donghyuck asked, settling onto the floor next to Mark with his sandwich and a small bag of chips. Mark shook his head; knew he should have spent his time off stage studying for his math test, but Jaemin and Lucas roped him into a game of cards that somehow took the entire morning.

"Me neither," Donghyuck sighed. "We're both gonna bomb it."

"We still have time," Mark reminded him.

"Yeah, but I just can't focus."

"We could study together," Mark suggested. "Next time we both have some time.”

 

It took a few more hours for both Mark and Donghyuck to have a substantial amount of time in between scenes, but eventually there was an opportunity to grab their study guides and try to escape the general madness(Jisung and Jaemin were currently having a dance battle).

The dressing room was the quietest spot they could find. "Come on," Mark said, settling down on the floor and pulling out his study guide, "We have at least twenty minutes until our next scene."

Donghyuck sighed and sank to the floor as well. For about ten minutes, they actually managed to study before Donghyuck's mind wandered and he changed the subject from math to something more interesting.

"Hey Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Mark snorted. "When I grow up? Am I, like, four?"

"On a scale of one to ten, yeah," Mark shoved his shoulder but was unable to bite back a laugh. Donghyuck smiled despite himself. _Stupid._

"Just answer the question, loser. Are you gonna keep performing?"

Mark relaxed a bit, thoughtfulness overtaking his expression. "As much as I love performing, there's something else I'd rather do." Donghyuck leaned forward and propped his chin on his hand, staring intently to indicate that he was listening. Mark smiled before continuing. "I've always dreamed of writing my own musical," he said, a faraway look in his round eyes. "The script, the music, everything. Maybe I'd even direct it."

"The next Lin Manuel Miranda?" Donghyuck teased.

"Don't compare me to God, that's sacrilegious," Mark laughed.

Donghyuck laughed with him for a moment at the mental image of Lin Manual Miranda descending from a cloud, surrounded by angels. He voiced the idea to Mark, who laughed harder, nose scrunching.

"Seriously though," Donghyuck said earnestly as they calmed down, "That's really cool."

Mark ducked his head, cheeks pink. "Thanks," he mumbled shyly before changing the subject. "What about you? What are you planning on?"

"Broadway, baby!" Donghyuck announced dramatically, drawing another fit of giggles from Mark. "Hey, maybe I'll be in your musical."

"What makes you think I'd cast you??" Mark said, earning an elbow it the ribs. "Kidding, I'm kidding! Of course I'd cast you."

"Really?" Donghyuck asked, taken aback.

"Yeah," Mark replied easily. "You're a great performer. Any cast would be lucky to have you."

"Oh," Donghyuck said softly, his bravado swept away the genuine compliment. "Thanks."

"We'll win our first Tony award together," Mark said with a yawn.

"Don't yawn, you'll make me-" Donghyuck's words were cut off as he yawned as well. The past week of late rehearsals were catching up with him, making his eyes feel heavy, and Mark was humming a slow melody, the only sound in the quiet dressing room, and Mark's shoulder was warm and comfortable when Donghyuck rested his head against it. The last thing Donghyuck registered before he fell asleep was Mark gently laying his own head on top of Donghyuck's, still humming softly.

  
  


"Where the hell are they?" Doyoung massaged his temples. They'd been at the school for several hours already, going through the slow, painstaking process of writing light cues and timing scene changes. Tempers were running high, and the disappearance of the two leads seemed to be the last straw for the stressed director. "Does anyone know where Mark and Hyuck are?" 

"I'll go find them," Jaemin volunteered. Of the three people in this scene, he was the only one who was on stage, and he was glad that he hadn't been the one to miss his cue and face Doyoung's wrath.

It only took two minutes for Jaemin to find his friends, tucked into a corner of the dressing room, fast asleep. Jaemin nearly cooed at the sight of Donghyuck's cheek squished against Mark's shoulder. His legs were thrown over Mark's, nearly sitting in the other boy's lap. Mark's arms loosely encircled Donghyuck's waist, cheek resting on his fluffy silver hair. Jaemin whipped out his phone and snapped a photo, grinning widely, before leaning over and flicking them each on the ear. Donghyuck let out a sleepy whine, burrowing his face deeper against Mark's chest. Jaemin really _did_ let out a coo at that, but as much as he would love to let his friends continue to be disgustingly soft, he had a job to do. "Guys! You need to get on stage _now_ , Doyoung is pissed."

That did the trick. Donghyuck's eyes flew open and this drooping head snapped up-- smacking Mark in the chin and making his teeth clack together.

"Ow!" the older boy yelped as Donghyuck clutched the top of his head. "I bit my tongue!"

Jaemin hauled them to their feet and shoved them through the door, laughing maniacally.

"I found them both asleep in the dressing room," Jaemin announced, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he marched onto the stage, Mark and Donghyuck trailing red-faced in his wake. A few boos and a couple cat-calls echoed through the auditorium.

Doyoung sighed, exasperated. "Thank you, Mr. Na. Benedick, Beatrice, Act Five, Scene Two, please. Donghyuck, you start the scene offstage"

Jaemin watched with interest as Mark and Donghyuck, flustered and still disoriented from suddenly being woken, moved to their opening positions for the scene. His theory was gaining evidence. He thought of the image saved in his phone and suppressed a mischievous smile as he recited his lines.

It was time to pay those two back with a little matchmaking of his own.

 

**_Nana added Moomin+9 others to the chat_ **

**_Nana named the chat OPERATION MARKHYUCK_ **

**Moomin:**

wtf

**Nojam:**

jaemin no

**Dolphin:**

JAEMIN YES

**Donkey:**

What is this foolery

**Nana:**

Alright binches listen up

**TYtrack:**

Language

**Nana:**

Shut up taeyong ur not my mother

So

We all know that Mark and Donghyuck are totally into each other

**Mochji:**

Theyre what now

**yangx2:**

Jisung you idiot

**LuKiss:**

They literally just stopped hating each other????

 **Nana** :

And yet

_[image attached]_

**hakunayutata:**

Oh my god

**Dolphin:**

OH MY GOD

**LuKiss:**

Wow

Totally did not see that one coming

**Snoopy:**

Thats because youre woefully unobservant

**Moomin:**

Bold of you to assume Lucas knows what woefully means

**Nana:**

So ANYWAYS

Were gonna get them together

 **Moomin:**  

 Jaemin stop being a nosey bitch challenge: failed

**Nana:**

 blocked

**Moomin:**

u can block me but u can’t block the truth

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins  
> If you're familiar with Much Ado About Nothing, you already know where this is headed ;)


	12. None Left To Protest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THIS SO YOU DON'T GET CONFUSED!  
> In previous chapters, I said that Johnny had graduated and started college, but I decided to go back and change it so he is now a high school senior like Taeyong, Ten, etc. He's not in the cast of Much Ado, but he is the costume designer for the show. 
> 
> Also, sorry for disappearing for like a month oops. Shout out to the people who DMed me on IG to bug me about it, this chapter is dedicated to you because who knows how much longer it would have taken me to update without the encouragement hahaha

_I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest_

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act IV Scene I)_

 

 

 

Jaemin didn’t wake on Sunday until the early afternoon light was streaming through his curtains onto his pillow. He had barely had the energy to pull off his shoes and socks before collapsing into bed the previous night, exhausted from twelve hours of rehearsal.

Now that tech day was over, there was one blessed day of rest before the final week of rehearsals-- affectionately referred to as ‘Hell Week’-- leading up to opening night on Friday. Jaemin groaned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He had slept for over twelve hours, but the thought of the late nights the coming week had in store made him want to roll over and sleep for another twelve hours.

Instead, Jaemin dragged himself out of bed and stumbled into the shower, and then into the kitchen at the anxious demands of his stomach.

“Oh look, he’s alive,” his mom remarked as he rummaged through the cabinets for cereal.

“Unfortunately,” Jaemin grumbled as he assembled his breakfast-- or was it lunch now? Whatever. 

His mom only chuckled and ruffled his hair. “It’s nice to see you working so hard. Your dad and I bought our tickets for opening night.”

Jaemin smiled, but he felt the first glimmer of nerves. Sometimes, the rehearsals seemed so endless that it was easy to forget that there was still an audience at the end of it all. He wasn’t a stranger to performing, of course, he was in the musical last year, and the dance team, but this would be his first time speaking in front of a crowd. The thought was overwhelming, so he shoved it away.

Once he was clean and fed, feeling considerably more like a functional human, Jaemin checked his phone for the first time that day. His heart gave a familiar lurch at the sight of Jeno’s contact name, and a string of texts from a couple hours ago.

**< 3 Acorn <3:**

Hey nana

Youre probably still sleeping

Text me when you wake up!

 

Jaemin knew he probably had a disgustingly sappy smile on his face as he typed his reply, but he didn’t care. Renjun wasn’t there to make fun of him anyway.

**Nana <3:**

I’m up now, what is it?

He didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

 

**< 3 Acorn<3:**

Get dressed

I’m picking you up in 20

Dress warm

**Nana <3:**

Wait why

Where are we going

**< 3 Acorn<3:**

I’m taking you on a date

 

Jaemin’s father heard a thump from his son’s room. “Jaemin? What was that?” he called.

“I dropped my shirt,” came the muffled reply.

“It sounded a bit heavier than a shirt.”

“I was in the shirt.”

  
  


 

Jeno took a deep breath, finger hesitating above Jaemin’s doorbell, unsure why he was so nervous. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t spent the past week glued to Jaemin’s side at every opportunity, but he supposed that stolen moments backstage and holding hands on the way to English was different than an actual _date._ Jeno wanted everything to be perfect. He had even asked Donghyuck for advice.

Although Jeno didn’t spend weekends at his dad’s house anymore, the friday night video call tradition continued, the only difference being that now Donghyuck could tease Jeno about his love life as loud as he pleased. 

“Hyuck please, for once in your life, be helpful,” Jeno groaned, closing his eyes to block out the obnoxious kissy-faces his friend was making at the camera.

“Hey, I _am_ helpful!” Donghyuck insisted with a pout. “Remember who got you two together in the first place?”

“Uh, Mark?” Jeno teased.

Donghyuck stuck out his tongue. “It was _my_ idea, I’ll have you know. You should be thanking me on bended knee.”

Jeno rolled his eyes. “Whatever, that’s not the point! The point is, I want to take Jaemin on the best date of his life on sunday.”

“Oh Jen, that’s so sweet!” The voice came, not from Jeno’s phone speakers, but from his doorway, where his mom looked as though she was already designing his wedding cake in her mind.

“Mom,” Jeno groaned as his mom settled onto the edge of his bed and peered at his phone screen.

“Hello Donghyuck!” she greeted cheerfully, ignoring her son’s half hearted attempts to remove her from his bed.

“Hi,” Donghyuck chirped back, wearing that artificially angelic smile that masked his true devilish tendencies.

Jeno’s mother, on the other hand, did nothing to hide the mischievous glint in her eyes as she grinned. “Well then, don’t we have a date to plan?”

That was what lead to Jeno hesitating on Jaemin’s doorstep, a small bundle of flowers(his mom’s idea) in his hand, wearing his black turtleneck sweater from halloween(Donghyuck’s idea), this time paired with more sensible blue jeans and a jacket.

Exactly three seconds after he rang the bell, the door swung open to reveal Jaemin looking far too adorable for Jeno’s health, in a baggy pink sweater, his hair swept off his forehead and his bright smile gleaming in the autumn light.

Jeno allowed himself to simply stare at his boyfriend for a moment before he remembered the flowers in his hand.

“Um, these are for you,” he said, holding them out.

Jaemin’s eyes widened as they fell on the small bundle of blossoms, one sweater-paw covering his widening smile and blushing cheeks, the other reaching out to take the bouquet from Jeno’s outstretched hand. Jeno grinned at the adorable sight. _Thanks, mom._

“I’d better put these in a vase or something,” Jaemin said, regaining his composure and opening the door wider to usher Jeno inside. “Come on in, it’ll only take a minute.”

Jaemin paused in the doorway to the living room. “Mom, Dad, this is Jeno,” he said. “My boyfriend,” he added with pride.

Jeno discreetly wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. Meeting Jaemin’s parents wasn’t something he had prepared for today, although he figured he should have seen it coming. They were both regarding him kindly, so he mustered up his best smile and gave an awkward wave. “Nice to meet you.”

“Jeno!” Jaemin’s father beamed, his wide grin reminiscent of his son’s as he stood up and strode over to shake Jeno’s hand jovially. “We’ve heard so much about you!”

“You’re just as cute as Jaemin always says,” Jaemin’s mother gushed, following her husband in enthusiastically wringing Jeno’s hand. 

 _“Mom,”_ Jaemin groaned, taking hold of Jeno’s elbow and pulling him away.

A little overwhelmed, but pleased nonetheless, Jeno allowed himself to be lead into the kitchen, Jaemin’s parents’ laughter following them.

“Sorry about that,” Jaemin mumbled as he pulled a vase from a shelf in the kitchen. “I know they can be a bit... much.”

Jeno grinned broadly. “No worries, my mom will probably be the same when you meet her.” He truly didn’t mind; in fact, he appreciated Jaemin’s parent’s enthusiasm. For years, Jeno had hidden part of himself. Never did he imagine that he could be in a relationship where he would be would be shown off with such pride, or accepted so warmly. 

They left the vase full of flowers on the counter when they slipped out the door a few minutes later, Jaemin throwing a jacket on over his sweater, his parents calling after them to “Be good, boys!”

“Where are we going?” Jaemin prodded from the passenger seat as Jeno pulled out of the driveway. 

“You’ll see,” Jeno replied cryptically, and no amount of pouting and whining from Jaemin did any good to change his mind.

The snow of a few days earlier had almost completely melted, leaving the ground damp and the air chilly, despite the deceptive sunshine filtering through the clouds. Jeno felt warm from the inside out, and a little bit giddy from the fact that Jaemin was in his passenger seat, softly humming along to the radio.

It wasn't until they pulled into the parking lot that Jaemin's eyes widened with realization. "We're going ice skating?"

Jeno grinned. "Yep!"

They scurried across the chilly parking lot shoulder to shoulder, the backs of their knuckles brushing until Jeno looped his fingers through Jaemin's. Jaemin seemed surprised for a split second, but then he grinned and squeezed Jeno's hand gently. They didn't let go until they reached the skate rental counter and needed both hands to lace up their skates.

"I haven't been ice skating in years," Jaemin said, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"It's been a while for me too," Jeno replied. "My family used to come here together." His favorite childhood memories were here, frozen in time and stored in the smooth ice. They hadn't come since his parents began fighting, when he was thirteen.

Jeno was pulled from his thoughts by Jaemin kneeling in the floor in front of him, tugging the laces of Jeno's skates from between his limp fingers and pulling them tight.

"Stop spacing out," Jaemin said with a soft smile, glancing up as he looped the laces into a tight bow. "Come on," He said, standing and holding out his hand to Jeno, "let's go."

They both stumbled a bit when they first stepped onto the ice, clinging to each other and the guardrail for support as they found their balance.

Jaemin managed to get his feet under himself first, skating circles around Jeno with a dancer's grace and a teasing smile. "You look like a baby horse learning to walk for the first time,' he giggled.

"Shut up," Jeno huffed with no real heat. "I haven't done this for a long time."

Jaemin glided closer and grabbed hold of Jeno's flailing hands. "Just relax," he said, and began to skate backwards, pulling Jeno along with him at a gentle pace until he finally found his balance. "That's more like it," Jaemin cheered when Jeno was able to complete a full lap of the rink on his own.

They skated until their feet were sore and Jaemin's nose and cheeks had flushed pink from the cold, and then they linked their frozen fingers and left the rink, shivering, to buy hot chocolate from the small cafe in the lobby.

"It's snowing again," Jaemin observed as they settled side by side onto the worn sofa next to a window.

Jeno hummed in agreement wrapping his cold hands around his cup and gazing out the window at the snowflakes swirl through the darkening sky. A comfortable sort of tiredness had settled in his bones, making the world seem warm and soft around the edges. He leaned against Jaemin and smiled when he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and pull him closer, until he was pressed flush against his boyfriend's chest.

"Thank you for today," Jaemin murmured into Jeno's hair. "I had a great time."

"Me too, babe," Jeno mumbled sleepily, the pet name slipping out without him realizing, and he felt Jaemin's breath hitch the slightest bit. Tilting his head, Jeno peered up at Jaemin's face, which was uncharacteristically flustered. "What?"

"You- you just called me babe."

"Oh. Do you not want me to?"

"No, I- um, you can. If you want."

Jeno's lips curled into a mischievous smile, leaning closer to Jaemin's ear. "Babe. Baby. Nana. Baby boy."

"I changed my mind," Jaemin said, shoving Jeno away and covering his face, "you've lost your pet name privileges."

Jeno laughed and pulled Jaemin closer to kiss him in apology, uncaring of who might see them.

  
  
  
  


Mark was feeling refreshed from the day off when he arrived at school on Monday morning, but by the end of first period, he was ready to crawl back into his bed and never emerge. Not only was he desperately trying to cram for his math test without attracting the attention of his geography teacher, but he shared that class with Jaemin, who had gushed non-stop about his date with Jeno for the entire class period. All too soon(because he was nowhere near prepared for the test), and not soon enough(because he didn’t know if he could listen to one more word about Jeno’s smile without ripping his hair out), the bell rang, and Mark resigned himself to death by quadratic equation and trudged to his second period math class.

“Ready to die, Mark Lee?” Donghyuck said as he flopped into his usual seat next to Mark, arriving mere seconds before the late bell rang.

“You might as well kill me now,” Mark replied, not looking up from the formulas he was hopelessly trying to tattoo on to the inside of his brain.

Donghyuck sighed. “I’m guessing you didn’t get much studying done either?”

“None at all,” Mark confirmed, finally looking up at the other boy. He blinked. “You changed your hair,” he said dumbly.

“Wow, really? I hadn’t noticed,” Donghyuck said dryly, running his fingers through the now chocolate-brown strands. “Doyoung said the silver was too unnatural.” He made a face.

“Oh,” was all Mark could think to respond, eyes still trained on Donghyuck’s hair as it fell messily back into his face.

“What? Does it look bad?”

“No! No- it looks good.” It was true; the warm brown complimented Donghyuck’s dark eyes and the golden tones in his tan skin. Obviously, Mark didn’t voice any of that. “Really good,” he added instead.

Donghyuck looked as though he was about to say something scathing, but was cut off by their teacher beginning to pass out the tests. Mark was almost grateful for the distraction. Almost. He was still probably going to fail the test.

  
  


 

 

As had become habit, Jeno and Jaemin walked from English to lunch together, hands linked comfortably, happily ignoring the few judgmental looks they received. Most of their, now quite large, group had already congregated in the choir room by the time they arrived. Most were happily chatting and laughing, but two figures were dejectedly slumped against each other.

“What happened to you two?” Jaemin queried as he and Jeno sat down near the despondent duo. “You look like you just returned from the war.”

“After losing the war,” Jeno added.

“We fought valiantly,” Donghyuck bemoaned dramatically, “but in the end, we were vanquished.”

Jaemin turned to Mark. “Care to translate that?”

“We failed our math test,” Mark sighed. “We think so, anyway, we won’t get the scores back for a few days.”

“There’s no way I got higher than a sixty percent,” Donghyuck chimed in, “and Mark’s even stupider than me, so he has no hope.”

“Hey,” Mark protested tiredly, flicking Donghyuck on the forehead.

Jeno and Jaemin exchanged a bemused glance that clearly said, _dumbasses._

  
  


 

 

The first day of full dress rehearsal was always a hot mess of losing things, missing cues due to quick changes, accidentally putting on someone else's pants, and cramming way too many people into the small dressing room. Johnny rushed around with scraps of fabric over his arm, muttering creative ways to kill the next person who asked him for a safety pin. Mark had to get help from Chenle to do up the buttons on his doublet, and it took him three attempts to attach his scabbard to his belt; soldier costumes were unnecessarily complicated. He was jealous of Jaemin, whose costume was much simpler. To Jaemin's disappointment, Doyoung had decided that the boys playing female roles wouldn't be wearing dresses. Instead, Jaemin had a simple shirt and pants to reflect Margaret's position as a servant, the female soldiers had the same uniforms as the male soldiers, and Donghyuck had the clothes of a nobleman from the time period. Mark felt somewhat satisfied when he saw Donghyuck struggling with his own costume; at least Mark wasn't the only one with an absurd amount of buttons.

At last, everyone was deemed acceptably outfitted by Johnny, Doyoung called everyone on stage to begin rehearsal.

“I feel that you’re pretty solid from the beginning until Act III, but Act IV and V need some work, so we’ll run those a few times, then go back to the beginning and run the whole show, and then you can go home, okay?” There was a general murmur of assent, and Doyoung clapped his hands. “Okay, places for the top of Act IV!”

The addition of the lighting and the costumes made everything seem more real, reminding Mark that they only had a few days left before opening night. The rest of the cast seemed to feel it too, putting their all in to every line.

The first scene in Act IV was one of Mark’s favorites because of the sheer dramatics. Jungwoo and Hendery spat their lines with all the venom of a pair of cobras, Wendy’s wide, terrified eyes would be enough to draw sympathy from even the most cold-hearted audience members, and Donghyuck was in his element, burning with righteous anger.

Mark himself had few lines until the others exited, leaving him and Donghyuck on stage. 

“Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?” Mark said gently.

“Yea, and I will weep a while longer,” Donghyuck replied.

Another reason Mark enjoyed this scene was that it was the first time Benedick and Beatrice had an honest conversation. It was a turning point in their relationship, and in the show. 

"Oh God, that I were a man!" Donghyuck snarled. "I would eat his heart in the marketplace!" It was Donghyuck's favorite line, Mark knew, and it showed in the way his eyes blazed. It was kind of beautiful, the way he threw himself headfirst into his character.

Everything about him was kind of beautiful.

 _Oh God, no,_ Mark thought.

Somehow, he managed to make his way to the end of the scene, relying on muscle memory the hours of rehearsal to carry him through, before he exited the stage and immediately shut himself in the dressing room.

No no _no_ , this couldn't be happening. After two years, he was finally on good terms with Donghyuck, now was _not_ the time to ruin everything by catching feelings. It was just the show talking, he convinced himself, just his onstage emotions bleeding into his real life. Mark had heard Doyoung mention showmances before: a common phenomenon in high school theatre, where an actor would develop feelings for a romantic costar, only for the feelings to disappear after the show closed. That had to be what was happening. The show would end, his feelings would fade, and he would keep Donghyuck's friendship. Now that Mark had it, he didn't want to let it go. In the meantime, he would play his role as Benedick on the stage, and offstage he would play the role of someone who was definitely _not_ falling in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tune in next time for matchmaking shenanigans


	13. The Only Love Gods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there will only be two(maybe three?) chapters left after this one. We're getting close, guys!
> 
> Also, the quote at the beginning of this chapter is one I've been waiting to use since I first had the idea for this fic

_If we can do this,_

_Cupid is no longer an archer: his glory shall be_

_ours, for we are the only love-gods._

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act II Scene I)_

  
  
  


**OPERATION MARKHYUCK**

**TYtrack:**

Have any of you seen Jaemin?  
Mark’s looking for him.

**Nana:**

I just texted him and told him I’m in the dressing room

**Dolphin:**

Wait im in the dressing room and ur not here

**Nana:**

Im not in the dressing room

But hyuck is

  
  
  


Two days before opening night, it was time to add makeup and hair to the rehearsals, now that they were comfortable with their costumes. Doyoung had given them twenty minutes after the regular school day ended to get ready, and cast members were scattered through the bathrooms, dressing rooms, and hallways with bottles of hairspray and foundation. Donghyuck was glad that he could do his own hair and makeup, unlike most of the boys in the cast, who wandered like lost puppies in search of a girl who would take pity on them.

Donghyuck was ready in record time-- he had finally figured out how to put on his costume on by himself, and stage makeup was practically second nature to him now. He leaned back from the mirror, satisfied, and made to leave the dressing room, but he bumped into Mark on the way out.

Mark was in full costume and his hair was styled away from his forehead, but he was still woefully barefaced and he looked stressed. "Hey, Hyuck," he said distractedly, "Have you seen..." His voice trailed off as his gaze tracked over Donghyuck's appearance.

Donghyuck smirked; he knew he looked good. His skin was glowing, the color of the costume contrasted well with his skin tone, and, being the extra bitch he was, he had added a touch of highlighter to his exposed collarbones. When Mark continued to stare, however, he found himself feeling a little shy. Why the hell was Mark Lee checking him out? "Have I seen what?"

Mark snapped out of his trance, ears turning red at having been caught staring. _Cute_ Donghyuck's brain insisted as usual. _Shut up_ Donghyuck replied, also as usual. "Uh, have you seen Jaemin? He was gonna help me with my makeup." 

Donghyuck raised a(perfectly penciled in) eyebrow. "What makes you think he knows what he's doing?"

Mark shrugged. "He learned while he was on the dance team, I think."

"Last I saw him, he was making out with Jeno, backstage right, so good luck." Mark's face fell and Donghyuck's words, and pity was what made Donghyuck speak his next words. Yeah, definitely pity. "I could help if you want."

Mark immediately lit up, reminding Donghyuck of an excited puppy. "Really? I could do it myself, I don't want to bother you..."

"When have you ever _not_ been a bother to me?" Donghyuck quipped teasingly. "I'm finished getting ready anyway, and I don't trust you to do it yourself."

Donghyuck regretted his offer as soon as Mark was seated in front of him. The dressing room was noisy with other cast members chatting while they got ready, but Donghyuck could only hear Mark humming softly under his breath.

Thank god stage makeup was simple, Donghyuck thought as Mark handed over his meager supply of products, each probably the cheapest he could find. At least the foundation actually matched his skin tone, but--

"Mark, do you have a brush or a sponge for the foundation?"

Mark looked confused. "No?"

"How do you put it on, then?"

"Uh, with my hands?"

"Oh my god," Donghyuck groaned, reaching into his own(well stocked) makeup bag to find a foundation brush, spraying it with disinfecting brush cleaner before pumping out a small amount of foundation.

Donghyuck expertly blended the foundation over Mark's skin, concealing the dark circles and slight stress-breakouts that everyone in the cast had this close to opening night. Mark kept his eyes closed, which was good, because Donghyuck was already malfunctioning being this close to Mark's face; he didn't think he could handle eye contact as well.

Next step: eyebrows. Mark's were a bit pathetic, if Donghyuck was being honest, so he did his best to fill the scraggly seagull brows in with Mark's cheap eyebrow pencil.

"Stop moving," Donghyuck ordered as he attempted to start on eyeliner. "And close your eyes!" Mark continued to glare distrustfully at the pencil in Donghyuck's hand. "Mark, come on, you've been doing theatre for years. How are you not used to stage makeup yet?"

"Johnny usually helps me but he's busy sewing up Yangyang's pants."

"What happened to Yangyang's pants?" Donghyuck asked, intrigued.

"He ripped them open doing the splits," Mark grinned, and Donghyuck laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like him. Now hold still, I'm not going to poke your eye out, just trust me."

 _Trust me._ It was a weird thing to ask considering that they weren't even friends a month ago.

Mark's lips twisted in contemplation. "Fine. Just don't blind me." He closed his eyes, still looking tense.

Donghyuck leaned as close as he dared, resting his hand on Mark's cheek as he gently drew a thin line along Mark's lashes. Mark flinched a little, but it wasn't anything Donghyuck couldn't deal with.

"Open your eyes and look up," Donghyuck said quietly. Mark's lashes fluttered open and Donghyuck could have sworn Mark's eyes flickered down to his lips before he moved his gaze to the ceiling.

Donghyuck held his breath as he carefully lined Mark's lower lashes, and let out a sigh of relief when he could finally lean back, finished. "Done," he said, breathing deeply for what felt like the first time since he started.

Mark blinked rapidly to rid himself of the feeling of the pencil against his eye. "How do I look?"

"Ugly as always," Donghyuck lied. "Makeup can only help so much." In truth, Mark looked almost like a porcelain doll, with his big eyes and small mouth.

"But it always looks great when you wear it," Mark said absently examining his reflection in the dressing room mirror.

"That's because I'm naturally beautiful," Donghyuck answered automatically before he fully processed what Mark had said. "Wait, did you just compliment me?"

"What’s that stuff that makes your cheekbones all pretty?" Mark asked, ignoring Donghyuck's question.

"Uh, highlighter?"

"Yeah that. Can I have some?"

Donghyuck considered for a moment, but they still had five minutes to kill before they needed to be on stage, so he shrugged and grabbed his fan brush. "Sure, I guess."

As Mark sat back down and Donghyuck gently cupped his chin to turn his head, neither boy noticed Chenle snap a picture of them from across the dressing room.

 

**OPERATION MARKHYUCK**

**Dolphin:**

_[image attached]_

gUYS

THE TENSION

**Mochi:**

gross

thats gay

**Nana:**

jisung

youre gay

**yangx2:**

were all gay

**LuKiss:**

im not gay

**yangx2:**

oh yeah i forgot our token het

**Dolphin:**

anYWAY

**Nojam:**

anyGAY

**Dolphin:**

...

**yangx2:**

...

**Donkey:**

….

**hakunayutata:**

...

**10outta10:**

...

**Nana:**

babe ily but no

**Snoopy:**

wait who added ten to this chat???

**10outta10:**

i stole taeyongs phone and added myself

im invested in the drama

**Nana:**

whatever

**TYtrack:**

Get off your phones! I just called places for Act 1!

**10outta10:**

have fun losers

 

  
  
  
  
  


“No eating in costume!” Johnny shouted a few hours of rehearsal later when they finally took a break for dinner. 

The crew, lucky costume-less bastards, whooped and stampeded toward the promising scent of pizza, while the cast fumbled with their buttons as fast as they could. Mark, once again, had to enlist Chenle’s help with his doublet, and was still one of the last people to leave the dressing room. Johnny caught him on the way out.

"Are you okay, Mark? You've seemed a little out of it all day."

If it had been anyone but Johnny, Mark would have blamed it on being tired, but his brother would see through that immediately. They might not be related by blood, but in many ways, Johnny was the person who knew Mark better than anyone. He was also the person Mark trusted more than anyone else, so he sighed and answered the question honestly. "It's Donghyuck." His gentle hand cupping Mark's cheek, his face so close that Mark could count his lashes, close enough to kiss-

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were friends now. You're not fighting again, are you?."

"No, we aren't fighting," Mark said, glancing around for eavesdroppers, but they were alone. "I think I have a crush on him," Mark admitted quietly.

He expected a look of shocked horror, the kind of look you might get after suddenly announcing that your favorite musical was Cats, but Johnny just looked unimpressed. "Okay, and? Pretty much everyone has had a crush on him at some point. What's the big deal?"

"It's just awkward," Mark groaned. "We just barely became friends, I don't want to mess it up."

Johnny smirked. "Look, Mark, if Donghyuck was the kind of person who would stop being friends with someone just because they caught feelings for him, he wouldn't have any friends left."

Johnny had a point there, Mark had to admit.

"Besides," Johnny continued, "who knows? Maybe he feels the same way."

Mark scoffed. "He hated me for two years, it seems pretty unlikely."

Johnny looked ready to argue, but Mark pushed past him, hoping that there were still a few slices of pepperoni pizza left. Johnny followed with a sigh, ruffling Mark's hair affectionately before moving to sit with Taeyong and Yuta, while Mark was beckoned by Jaemin and Donghyuck.

"We saved you a slice before Chenle could take it all," Donghyuck chirped happily, and Mark couldn't help the way his heart swelled with fondness.

 

**OPERATION MARKHYUCK**

**_TYtrack added johnnyboy to the chat_ **

 

**johnnyboy:**

how dare you try to matchmake my little bro 

wITHOUT ME??

**Mochi:**

Wait, you want in on this madness?

**johnnyboy:**

Of course

I would love nothing more than to have donghyuck as a brother in law

so whats the plan

**hakunayutata:**

idk jaemin keeps being cryptic

**Moomin:**

he probably doesnt even have a plan

**Nana:**

i do have a plan!

 

**johnnyboy:**

well what is it?

**Nana:**

let's just say we'll be taking some tips from our buddy shakespeare ;)

 

**10outta10:**

so we're gonna help one of them fake their death and let the other kill himself?

**Nana:**

...no

ten do you know anything about much ado?

**10outta10:**

I know the masquerade scene

duh

**Donkey:**

jaemin are you thinking what i think youre thinking?

**Nana:**

;))))))

  
  


 

 

It was around eleven when Donghyuck finally stumbled through his front door. He had, stupidly, stopped to chat with Mark after rehearsal, mostly discussing how shifty all of their friends had been acting lately, and somehow they'd ended up talking for nearly twenty minutes, until Doyoung and Taeyong kicked them out to lock up the auditorium.

Donghyuck forced himself into the shower, knowing he would sleep in too long to do it the morning. The warm water beat down on his tired muscles, washing the sweat and tension of the day down the drain.

Opening night was two days away; Donghyuck should be stressing about his lines or his costume, but somehow all he could think about was Mark.

Mark Lee was cute. Stupidly cute, with his cute dumb smile and his dumb fluffy hair and the dumb sparkles in his big dumb eyes. Donghyuck was stupidly smitten, even worse than he had been two years ago, because now he _knew_ Mark. He was learning his quirks, his dreams, his insecurities, and unfortunately he found all of it _stupidly_ endearing. 

Not bothering to fully dry his hair, Donghyuck crawled into bed, his body surrendering to exhaustion even as his brain refused to shut up.

  
  
  


**OPERATION MARKHYUCK**

  
  


**Yangx2:**

Mark just left the classroom

hes headed for the auditorium

 **Nana** :

is everyone in position for phase one?

 

**Mochi:**

sir yes sir

 **Nojam** :

Johnny im in the dressing room where are you

**johnnyboy:**

omw

 **Nana** :

someone distract mark until johnny gets there

 

**yangx2:**

roger that

**Nana:**

Lele whats your status

**Dolphin:**

hyucks helping jungwoo look for his sheet music

i dont think theyll find it because jungwoo gave it to me

youve got at least 5 more minutes

**Nojam:**

ok yang johnnys here let mark go

**yangx2:**

ok hes coming

**hakunayutata:**

better make it quick idk how much longer ty can keep everyone else out

  
  


Final dress rehearsal. It was a weird thought that after tonight, the seats in the auditorium would finally be filled. No more rehearsing for hours after school. No more goofing off backstage. No more redoing a scene if someone messed up. From here on out, it was time to finally perform.

Mark was surprised to see what looked like most of the cast crowding the door to the auditorium. "What's going on?" he asked Hendery, who was leaning against a wall, looking at his phone.

Hendery startled and immediately stuffed his phone into his pocket, looking weirdly guilty. "What?"

"I asked what's going on. Why are we all out here?"

"Oh," Hendery relaxed, face now carefully blank, "Taeyong said stage crew has to take care of some tech stuff before we go in, and the back doors to the dressing room are locked."

"Oh, Mark!" Taeyong called from where he and Yuta stood in front of the closed doors. "Come here."

Mark obediently wove through the crowd. "What?"

"Johnny said there's a problem with your costume," Taeyong said in an oddly robotic voice. It sounded almost... rehearsed? "He's in the dressing room, you should go talk to him." Taeyong gestured to the double doors

"I thought only tech was allowed in there right now though," Mark said suspiciously.

"I trust you not to mess anything up," Taeyong replied nervously. "Plus, Johnny said it was important."

Taeyong was definitely acting weird. Mark shot a confused glance to Yuta, who just shrugged, face giving nothing away.

"Okay, I guess," Mark said, and Taeyong stepped aside to let Mark slip into the auditorium, ignoring the annoyed protests of the cast members still stuck outside.

The stage crew certainly didn't look busy. Yeri and Jisung were both on their phones in the light booth, and Renjun and Lucas were talking animatedly backstage, though they cut off abruptly when they spotted Mark.

"Hey guys, have you seen Johnny?"

"Yeah, he's in the dressing room!" Lucas' reply seemed a little more excited than the exchange warranted, but then again, Lucas was generally excited by everything. Renjun had pulled out his phone and was typing frantically.

"Okay thanks, man," Mark said, accepting Lucas' enthusiastic hi-five and moving past them to the dressing room. Mark's hand froze over the door handle when he heard his own name from inside the room.

"-Mark and Donghyuck, don't you think?" Johnny was saying.

"Oh, definitely," came a second voice- Jeno, Mark recognized. "I've never seen Hyuck click with someone the way he does with Mark."

"Do you think Hyuck likes him? Romantically, I mean."

"I would bet everything I own on it, honestly."

Mark let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, eyes widening.

"What about Mark? Does Mark like him?" Jeno asked.

A pause, and then-

"That's classified information." _Thanks, Johnny._ At least he was somewhat trustworthy.

Jeno laughed. "Honestly, though, they'd be one hell of a power couple."

"That's true," Johnny joined in the laughter.

Footsteps began to approach the door and Mark panicked, freezing in place, hand still hovering about the door handle when it swung open.

"Oh, hey Mark," Jeno greeted, casual as anything.

"Uh, hi," Mark managed to reply with a weak smile before turning to Johnny. "Taeyong said you needed me?"

"Yeah, can you put on your masquerade costume real quick? I want to add more lace to the sleeves..." 

Mark tuned his brother out as he prattled on about minor costume adjustments. There was a peculiar feeling blooming in Mark's chest; it felt suspiciously like hope.

  
  


**OPERATION MARKHYUCK**

 

**Nojam:**

Phase 1 is a success!!

**TYtrack:**

oh thank god the cast was about ready to break down the door

**johnnyboy:**

you guys should have seen his face omg

he looked like he was about to pass out

but like

in a happy way

**Nana:**

lmao lele was that you screaming just now

**Mochi:**

i can confirm that, I think I'm deaf now

**hakunayutata:**

Mark wasn't suspicious?

I would have been after how weird taeyong was

**Donkey:**

this is why he's a stage manager, not an actor

 **TYtrack** :

stop bullying me T-T

**10outta10:**

@johnnyboy i expect a full dramatic retelling

**johnnyboy:**

of course

 

 

 

No doubt about it, everyone was acting strange. Jaemin and Jeno kept sharing meaningful glances, Yangyang smirked every time he made eye contact with Donghyuck, Lucas was even more giggly than usual, and, perhaps the strangest of all, Taeyong wasn't yelling at the several people who had their phones out backstage. Donghyuck felt like he was being left out of some grand inside joke.

Mark was acting weird as well, though in a different way. On the stage, he was the same as he always was; confident, consistent, and in character, but as soon as he left the spotlight he was spaced out. He nearly jumped out of his skin every time Donghyuck touched him.

By the time Doyoung let them break for dinner, Donghyuck was thoroughly annoyed by the weirdly cryptic looks we was getting from half the cast and crew.

Chenle's(very rich) parents had taken it upon themselves to buy Chinese takeout for the entire cast and crew, so spirits were high despite the tiredness clawing at the edges of everyone's consciousness.

"Lele, why do you even go to this school?" Donghyuck asked incredulously as he settled cross legged on the floor in between Mark and Lucas, plate loaded with chow mein and orange chicken.

Chenle shrugged. "I went to a snobby rich-kid middle school and I hated it. Plus, the performing arts department has a great reputation, so I asked my parents to send me here, and they said yes!"

Mark reached over to ruffle Chenle's hair with a fond smile. "We're glad you're here, Lele. It wouldn't be the same without you." It was sweet, the way Mark doted on the younger cast-mates.

"Stop being sappy, old man," Chenle scoffed, but Donghyuck could tell he was pleased with the attention.

Mark's eyes met Donghyuck for a split second before Mark looked away, ducking his head down and focusing on his food. Jeno and Jaemin smirked at each other. Jisung and Chenle giggled quietly. Lucas looked like he was about to say something, but Renjun elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.

What was going on?

  


**OPERATION MARKHYUCK**

**Nana:**

Beginning phase two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh it's a cliff hanger whoops


	14. Taming My Wild Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow... this is the second to last chapter, you guys! That's literally insane to me O.o  
> This chapter is a bit shorter, it's mostly build up, but I hope you still enjoy!  
> As always, comments are very welcome! I love hearing feedback from you guys <3

_What fire is in mine ears? Can this be true?_

_Benedick, love on; I will requite thee,_

_Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand_

_(Much Ado About Nothing, Act III Scene I)_

  
  


"I can't believe that actually worked," Chenle giggled.

"Of course it worked," Jaemin sniffed, "I'm a genius. My matchmaking skills are impeccable."

"You stole the idea from Shakespeare though. That's practically plagiarism," Yangyang piped up.

"All his work is in the public domain, though," Jaemin countered, "so it's fair game."

They were hastily changing back into their costumes after dinner, which had been a truly entertaining affair, what with Mark's crippling awkwardness and Donghyuck's clueless confusion.

"Oh my god, look," Hendery grinned, nodding his head to the other end of the room, where Mark was trying to do up his buttons while casting not-so-subtle glances at Donghyuck, whose shirt was still entirely open. The sight of the other boy's golden skin seemed to be causing Mark to malfunction, as he was consistently putting every button in the wrong button hole.

As Jaemin and the others watched intently, Donghyuck noticed Mark's lopsided shirt and smirked. Mark's eyes widened as Donghyuck sauntered over, a teasing smile on his lips, and widened further as his tan fingers deftly began undoing Mark's askew buttons and fixing them.

"That's disgusting," Yangyang mumbled, elated, snapping a quick photo with his phone. The others shushed him hurriedly.

Donghyuck glanced up into Mark's mildly terrified face and hurriedly pulled his hands away as if he'd been burned, taking a step back to put a bit of distance between them. Jaemin couldn't see Donghyuck's face from this angle, but he could see the tips of his ears, which were blooming a lovely shade of red. Chenle had a hand clamped over his mouth, shaking with suppressed laughter.

Luckily for Mark and Donghyuck, not so much for their avid audience, Taeyong chose that moment to stick his head into the dressing room. "Places for the top of Act IV, everyone!"

  
  


**OPERATION MARKHYUCK**

 

**yangx2:**

_[image attached]_

I can't believe i had to watch this with my own two eyes

**johnnyboy:**

oh my gOD

**hakunayutata:**

theyre already undressing each other

do we even need phase 2?

**Nana:**

shut up yuta theres BABIES present

Jisung dont listen to him

**Mochi:**

Im 16……

**Nana:**

Dont argue with your mother

anyways

phase 2 is a go

jen be in position after the church scene

**Nojam:**

yes sir

  
  
  
  


Mark was on the verge of losing his damn mind.

Donghyuck had been so close, deftly fixing Mark's buttons, warm fingers seeming to burn every time they brushed Mark's chest. He was speaking, probably teasing Mark about his inability to properly dress himself, but Mark couldn't really make out the words over the buzzing that filled his head.

Then, Donghyuck had looked up, gaze meeting Mark's, hands still lightly resting on Mark's chest, and Mark froze, unable to even breathe. Maybe he was imagining things, but he could have sworn that Donghyuck's eyes had flicked down to Mark's lips for a split second, and Mark desperately wanted to close the small gap between them.

The moment broke, and Donghyuck stepped back hurriedly. Mark searched his foggy mind for something to say, but was saved the trouble by Taeyong calling places.

For an actor, it was incredible how bad Mark was at acting natural. Every time Donghyuck so much as looked at him, he felt so awkward that he wanted to fling himself directly into the sun. Over-dramatic, sure, but true.

  
  
  
  


Donghyuck wanted nothing more than to go home, pull his blankets over his head, and wallow in his own embarrassment. Unfortunately, as Doyoung always said, time doesn't wait for teen angst, and this was the last rehearsal before opening night, so Donghyuck gritted his teeth and bantered with Mark onstage, avoiding his gaze offstage.

The church scene was especially difficult to stay in character for, what with Mark's big, earnest eyes, and all the flowery Shakespearean love confessions. Donghyuck was glad that Beatrice changed the topic to murder; that was much more comfortable

As soon as he left the stage Donghyuck was met with the sight of Jeno and Jaemin snuggled together in the shadows, tucked halfway behind a set piece from the garden scene. Donghyuck scoffed; if they were trying to be discreet, it wasn't working. How dare they be so happily in love when there were single people around.

As Jeno's best friend, Donghyuck was under solemn obligation to tease him. He took a step toward the whispering couple, who didn't seem to notice him, but paused as he caught a few of Jaemin's words.

"-Donghyuck noticed by now? It's pretty obvious."

"I doubt it," Jeno replied with a chuckle.

Intrigued, Donghyuck quietly moved closer, on the other side of the set piece, out of view of the gossiping couple, but now able to hear them clearly.

"He could just be ignoring it so he doesn't hurt Mark's feelings," Jaemin mused.

What?

"Maybe," Jeno conceded dubiously. "Or he could be intentionally closing his eyes to it. He's pretty stubborn, you know."

Jaemin laughed softly. "Yeah, stubborn enough to hate Mark, a very un-hateable person, for two full years."

"Poor Mark."

"Yeah, poor Mark. It's just his dumbass luck to crush on someone who hated his guts."

_What?_

"Do you think he's serious about it, though?" Jeno asked after a pause.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know everyone crushes on Donghyuck at some point, but it never lasts. Do you think it's like that for Mark? Because if he's gonna change his mind, it would be better for him to stay away from Hyuck."

Curse Jeno for noticing Donghyuck's insecurities- that he was only likable on the surface, that no one would love him once they got close to him. Donghyuck held his breath, waiting for Jaemin's answer.

"I think it's different with Mark," Jaemin began thoughtfully. "He didn't like Hyuck right away, like the rest of us did. They fought for two years, after all. I think Mark only started to like Hyuck once he actually started getting to know him. The way I see it," he said slowly, "if Hyuck being mean to him for two years wasn't enough to keep Mark from liking him, I can't think of anything that would make him stop."

Suddenly, the air backstage was too hot, suffocating, and Donghyuck needed to get away, to _think_ about this new information. Mark _liked_ him. _Him,_ despite everything.

Donghyuck left the backstage area in a daze, wandering in the vague direction of the drinking fountain, oblivious to the two pairs of eyes intently watching.

"You laid it on a little thick, don't you think?" Jeno commented.

"Everything I said was true," Jaemin insisted, "I've never seen Mark so into anyone before."

"Do you think they'll work everything out now?"

"Yeah," Jaemin smiled softly, brushing a kiss against Jeno's cheek, "I really think they will."

 

**OPERATION MARKHYUCK**

**Nana:**

phase 2 complete

now all we can do is wait

**TYtrack:**

Okay, now that you're done scheming

EVERYONE GET OFF YOUR PHONES AND FOCUS ON REHEARSAL

  
  
  


There were less than twenty-four hours until they opened the show. One day until they could finally unveil what they’d spent so many hours perfecting. In the moment the curtains opened, when they would be blinded by the spotlight, hear the applause, all the long hours would be worth it. The adrenaline would pump through their tired muscles, and they would be, for that moment, invincible.

In the meantime, though, Mark craved the sweet release of death.

With a groan, he collapsed face first onto his bed, not bothering to change out of the sweatpants he had worn home from rehearsal. 

“You might want to take off your shoes, dumbass.”

Mark let out a muffled groan in response, not even bothering to lift his head to look at Johnny. Mark heard an exasperated sigh, and then felt the weight of another body sitting near the foot of his bed. Pulling one of Mark’s feet into his lap, Johnny began tugging at his laces.

“Why are you still up?” Mark mumbled, turning his face away from his pillows just enough to blink blearily at his brother. After giving all the costumes a final once over, Johnny had left rehearsal several hours earlier than the cast members.

“I was waiting for my idiot little brother to get home so I could put him to bed,” Johnny quipped, dropping one shoe to the floor and starting on the other, “since he obviously doesn’t know how to survive on his own.”

Mark was too tired to come up with a proper response, so he settled for sticking his tongue out at the older boy. 

Johnny dropped the second shoe to the floor and moved to pull a blanket over Mark’s smaller form. “You ready for tomorrow?”

“I think so. Rehearsal was really good today. Well,” he made a face, “the actual rehearsing part, at least.”

Johnny smirked. “Is this about Donghyuck?”

“I- well, uh. Yeah. Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Johnny snickered.

“I heard you talking to Jeno,” Mark said after a moment.

Johnny’s smirk grew. “Eavesdropping? I’m disappointed in you, Mark.”

Mark grumbled and shoved his face into his pillow to avoid his brother’s smug face. Chuckling, Johnny scooted closer and ruffled Mark’s hair. 

“You just gonna mope around, or are you gonna do something about it?” He didn’t wait for an answer before standing. “Goodnight, Mark,” he said, flicking off the light and closing the door behind him.

Opening night was tomorrow. Mark needed to sleep; he needed to be in top form for the performance, he couldn't let everyone down. He was tired; he should have fallen asleep as soon as the light turned off. Unfortunately, Mark’s brain apparently didn’t get the memo. His thoughts, although blurred and sluggish with exhaustion, clung to Johnny’s words:

_Are you gonna do something about it?_

Mark knew he liked Donghyuck, more than he could remember liking anyone else before. And according to Jeno, Donghyuck’s best friend, the person who know him best, those feelings weren’t entirely unrequited. So, what was Mark gonna do about it?

 _That’s a problem for Tomorrow Mark,_ he thought, forcibly halting his thoughts. He’ll figure it out. He’ll do something.

Tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have the final(!!!) chapter out as soon as I can, but i reaaalllyy want it to be as close to perfect as I can get it, so it may take a bit longer.  
> I have ideas for a Ten-centric sequel, would you guys be interested in that? Let me know in the comments. It would be in the same AU, but inspired by/based on a different show(I think I'll reveal what show in the next chapter so keep an eye out)


	15. Is Not That Strange?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the final chapter. It's over!  
> ... or is it?  
> You may have noticed that this work is now part of a series! I'm currently working on ideas for a Ten-centric sequel based on the play mentioned near the end of this chapter(spoilers)! I'm really not sure how soon that will happen because I've got a pretty crazy couple of months ahead of me, but I'm just too attached to this AU now

_ I do love nothing in the world so well as you- is not that strange? _

_ (Much Ado About Nothing, Act IV Scene I) _

 

"You look like hell," was the first thing Donghyuck said to Mark as they took their regular seats in their shared math class.

"Thanks for that," Mark grumbled, but he knew Donghyuck was right. Despite his tired body begging for sleep, Mark had spent much of the previous night lying awake, agonizing over what to say to Donghyuck. So far, all he had to show for his efforts were dark circles beneath his bloodshot eyes, clearly visible behind his glasses. "It's not like you look any better." That was a lie; sure, Donghyuck looked a little tired, and he obviously hadn't bothered to comb his hair, but Mark was still having trouble taking his eyes off him. Maybe Mark was just whipped.

Mark tried to focus on what Ms. Kwon was saying about parabolas, but it was a losing battle; his itching eyes couldn't focus on the numbers, and Ms. Kwon's words flowed smoothly in one ear and out the other; trying to retain any information was like trying to catch smoke with his hands. Donghyuck seemed to have fully given up. His eyes were closed as he leaned back in his chair, head lolling to one side. Mark smiled fondly and gently guided Donghyuck's head to rest on his own shoulder.

They were obviously both too tired for this right now. Mark could talk to Donghyuck later.

  
  
  


The shrill chime of the bell signaled the end of the class period, rudely disturbing Donghyuck, who wanted nothing more than to continue sleeping on whatever warm thing he was snuggled against.

"Come on, Hyuck, get up," the warm thing said, shifting. An arm wrapped around Donghyuck's waist and attempted to  hoist them both to their feet. "You can nap more at lunch." Donghyuck whined and clung to the warm thing as it tried to move away. He reluctantly peeled his eyes open to pout at the warm thing, which turned out to be Mark, who was rubbing his shoulder. "My arm's asleep now," Mark complained.

When their eyes met, they seemed to realize at the same moment how close they were, and they both froze, Donghyuck's fingers clutching at the fabric of Mark's shirt, Mark's arm still around Donghyuck's waist. Mark's eyes flickered automatically down to Donghyuck's lips- Donghyuck _watched_ Mark look at his lips. Now was the perfect moment, right?

"Mark," Donghyuck began, voice raspy from sleep, and Mark's gaze immediately snapped back up. Donghyuck opened his mouth to continue, but someone cleared their throat.

Ms. Kwon was looking at them with a peculiar mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Can I help you boys with anything, or are you going to go to lunch?"

Donghyuck immediately shifted away from Mark and busied himself with cramming his notebook into his bag, embarrassment flooding his cheeks with heat.

"Sorry Ms. Kwon," Mark mumbled, hurriedly putting away his own things.

Oh, well. Maybe later.

  
  
  


Mark was determined to talk to Donghyuck at lunch, but that plan was derailed when he saw the sign on the choir room door that read, _'NO TALKING. it's naptime:).'_ Confused, Mark pushed open the door.

The only light in the room was the pale sunlight streaming through the high windows, catching on the dust particles swirling in the air, and the only sound was soft tune that Mr. Moon was playing on the grand piano. The choir teacher shot Mark a warm smile as he entered.

Students were sprawled across the floor as usual, but unlike usual, none of them were talking. Most were quietly eating their lunch, and several others, mostly cast and crew members, were asleep on the floor. Jaemin, who was eating a sandwich with his head pillowed on Jeno's thigh, waved lazily up at Mark. Mark smiled back and sat down to quietly eat his lunch.

A small yelp disturbed the quiet atmosphere, and the whole room turned to shush Chenle, who was struggling to escape Donghyuck, who seemed intent on using the younger boy as a pillow. At a pointed look from Mr. Moon, Donghyuck reluctantly released the younger boy, who scampered off to hide behind Jisung. Pouting, Donghyuck scanned the room for another target, and Mark resigned himself to being a pillow for the second time that day.

Oh, well, Mark thought to himself, his fingers carding through Donghyuck's unruly hair, the younger curled up beside him on the floor, head pillowed on Mark's rib cage as Mr. Moon's soft piano music lulled them to sleep. He'd just have to talk to Donghyuck later.

  
  
  


For the first time in a long time, Mark didn't have rehearsal after school, so he rode to and from school with Johnny and Ten, who Johnny drove every day.

"So," Ten said from the passenger seat as soon as Mark clambered into the back seat of Johnny's pick up truck after the final bell, "did you talk to Hyuck yet?"

"What? How did you-"

Ten waved a hand as if to bat away Mark's spluttered questions. "I know everything, young one," he said airily, a catlike smile curling his lips.

"So, did you?" Johnny pressed, smoothly pulling the truck out of the parking lot.

"I was going to..." Mark mumbled.

"But?"

"But he kept falling asleep on me!"

Johnny barked out a surprised laugh. "Is your love confession that boring?"

"Shut up, don't say it like that," Mark protested, leaning forward to smack the older boy on the arm, which only served to make Johnny and Ten laugh harder. "I really did try. I almost kissed him right in front of our math teacher."

"Oh my god," Ten was nearly crying with mirth. "You're too precious."

"Shut up," Mark scowled.

Upon arriving home, Mark was almost thrown into the shower by Johnny. Ten had decided to come over as well, since he and Johnny were going to the show together later anyway, but more importantly, because Ten had declared that Mark needed "a good, old fashioned makeover." Mark didn't protest because he knew that Ten was better with stage makeup than he could ever hope to be, and Johnny was decent at styling hair.

When he was freshly washed and dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, Johnny and Ten sat Mark down on his desk chair and enthusiastically began dolling him up.

"Are you nervous?" Ten asked as he tapped foundation into Mark's skin with a sponge.

"A little, I guess. I think we're ready, though. The practice will pay off."

Ten giggled. "I wasn't asking about the show."

"Oh." He was nervous to talk to Donghyuck, he supposed. Every time that he'd put it off throughout the day, the apprehension had grown.

"Don't sweat it," Johnny said from behind the chair, fingers working at styling Mark's dark hair away from his forehead. "You're making it more complicated than it needs to be."

"He's- hold still! He's right, Mark," Ten smiled, swirling a brush across Mark's skin. Ten was using several products from him own makeup bag, after snorting at Mark's meager collection. Figuring Ten knew what he was doing, Mark sat back with a sigh and let the older boy have free reign over his face, stilling his bouncing leg at a near murderous glance fromTen. They were right, he was definitely overthinking it, but the perfectionist in him yearned to give Donghyuck some grand romantic gesture. That's how it always happened in the movies, right? Mark's phone vibrated. Ignoring the protests of an annoyed Ten, who was attempting to start on Mark's eye makeup, he glanced down at the screen, a smile quirking his lips at the sight of a string of texts from Donghyuck.

 

**The Devil Himself:**

hey loser

thanks for being my pillow today

even if you are bony

 

Mark fought the dopey smile threatening to take over his face.

 

**Morkling:**

wow

i feel used

i thought i was more than just a pillow to you

 

That counted as flirting, right?

 

**The Devil Himself:**

you wish

youre not even a good pillow smh

  
  


"He's literally insulting you, why are you blushing?" Johnny said, peering at Mark's phone screen over his shoulder. Mark hastily stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "Aw, our little Markie's embarrassed," Ten cooed, holding Mark's face still with one hand, an eyebrow pencil in the other. Mark just closed his eyes and sighed.

It should have been harder to fall asleep with a comb tugging through his hair and makeup brushes tickling his face, but normal rules don't apply to  exhausted theatre kids; Mark started to drift off the moment he closed his eyes, Ten and Johnny's conversation washing over him as though from far away.

"Ah, look how tired he is."

"Hold his head up while I finish the eyebrows."

"Yes, sir."

  
  
  
  


"Jaemin's freaking out," Jeno announced, lying spread-eagled on Donghyuck's bed, gaze concerned and fond as he typed out a reply on his phone.

"Why?" Donghyuck half-shouted over the sound of the hair dryer he had aimed at his head.

"He's nervous," Jeno called back. "He keeps saying he's going to forget all his lines and ruin the show." 

Donghyuck hummed sympathetically, turning off the hair dryer. He definitely understood where Jaemin was coming from; when Donghyuck got his first speaking role, he'd felt the same stomach-crawling dread. He was feeling a very similar kind of dread now, though not brought on by the upcoming performance.

"Jeno?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I tell you something?"

Jeno put his phone away and gave Donghyuck his full attention. "You can tell me anything, Hyuck. You know that."

Donghyuck smiled at that; Jeno really was the best friend anyone could ask for.

"Come here," Jeno said, patting the space next to him on the bed, wrapping an arm around Donghyuck's shoulder when he complied. "What's up?"

Donghyuck sighed and snuggled into Jeno's side. "I heard you and Jaemin talking yesterday."

Jeno's fingers paused in Donghyuck's freshly-dried hair for a moment before he resumed carding through the fluffy strands. "And?"

"Well," Donghyuck mumbled, "do you really think he likes me?"

"I think,” Jeno replied gently, “that you should  ask _him_ that. And, I think the more important question is do _you_ like _him_?"

"Yes," Donghyuck whispered. It was his first time saying it out loud. After two years, it was a relief, like a weight had lifted. “I like him so much, Jeno.”

"Then you should tell him," Jeno said simply.

"I know," said Donghyuck. "Thanks, Jen. You're the best."

  
  


 

It was always an odd feeling to walk back into the empty school, hours after the final bell. the hallways seemed bigger when they were empty, desolate save for the occasional janitor, who shot Jaemin a dirty look as he walked by; the cleaning staff seemed to have a personal vendetta against theatre kids. As Jaemin neared the dressing rooms, however, the illusion of lifelessness was shattered by the muffled sound of the Mamma Mia soundtrack from behind the girls' dressing room door as he passed. From the sound of it, they were all singing along at the top of their lungs.

The boys dressing room was equally boisterous, if not more so. As soon as Jaemin pushed the door open, he was met with the sight of Hendery and Yangyang enthusiastically reenacting Point of No Return from The Phantom of the Opera, which was blaring from someone’s bluetooth speaker. Yangyang was only half in his costume, his Shakespearian shirt contrasting ridiculously with his Adidas sweatpants, and Hendery had a tissue taped over half his face in imitation of a mask. The other cast members in the room, most only half clothed, were cheering or booing, and as Jaemin watched, Yuta's sock sailed through the air and hit Hendery directly in the face, prompting a general uproar of laughter. Jaemin grinned, the familiar chaos helping to soothe his nerves.

"Jaemin!" a familiar voice called, and Jaemin turned to see Mark looking rather dashing with meticulously applied makeup and carefully styled hair- though the effect was somewhat ruined by the helpless expression on his face as he struggled with his doublet. Jaemin laughed, moving to help his hapless friend.

"You know, Mark, for the brother of the costume designer, you're kind of useless with buttons."

"Shut up, Jaemin," Mark whined. "It's just this stupid doublet.”

Jaemin couldn't resist teasing him further. "Oh, really? Didn't Donghyuck have to help you with your Act IV costume yesterday? You couldn't even manage a regular shirt."

"You saw that?" Mark groaned, looking so embarrassed that Jaemin took pity on him.

"Don't worry about it, Markie," Jaemin consoled, finishing with Mark's buttons and clapping him on the shoulder. "Go get your mans."

"That's the plan," Mark mumbled, low enough that Jaemin almost didn't catch it.

"Plan?" Jaemin questioned, trying to sound innocent and nonchalant and failing miserably.

"I gotta go, um, do my makeup," Mark spluttered in a panic. "Bye!" He dashed out of the dressing room.

"Dumbass," Jaemin shook his head fondly, "you already have your makeup on."

  
  
  
  


Mark was nowhere to be found when Donghyuck arrived at the school. According to Jaemin, he had dressed and then disappeared right before Donghyuck walked in. Donghyuck glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed; he didn't have time to go search for Mark before call time. Slightly dejected, he began pulling on his costume.

Donghyuck didn't even catch a glimpse of Mark until fifteen minutes before the show was set to begin, when the cast and crew gathered together backstage with Doyoung for a quick pre-show meeting. Mark seemed to be quietly bickering with Jaemin until Doyoung called for their attention.

After going through a few last minute notes("Jaemin, make sure you enunciate and don't speed up your lines. Chenle, don't laugh onstage- or offstage, either. No laughing. Lucas, make sure you don't miss the cue for the garden scene change."), Doyoung breathed deeply and gave them all a wide smile. "I'm proud of you all. I know Shakespeare isn't easy, but you've done a wonderful job. There's no reason to be nervous tonight; you've put in the work, you've practiced hard. The show is great, so just go out there and have fun with it, okay?" Heads bobbed in agreement. The energy buzzing between the cast and crew was sizzling with excitement and anticipation, and Donghyuck grinned.

Doyoung clapped his hands. "Okay, everyone circle up!" This was a tradition; before each show, the cast and crew would stand in a circle, hold hands, and take a moment to be silent and calm before getting in place for the top of the show. Jeno grabbed Donghyuck by the hand and maneuvered him into place beside him, and, coincidentally or not coincidentally, Donghyuck ended up pressed between Jeno and Mark.

They didn't talk. Everyone was silent, some closing their eyes and taking deep breaths, everyone comforted by the feeling of being all together. This was one of the things Donghyuck loved most about theatre: he knew that every single person in this circle, even those he didn't know very well, had his back no matter what.

They didn't talk, but Mark gently squeezed Donghyuck's fingers. His palm was slightly sweaty, but it was warm and comforting. Donghyuck squeezed back, shifting his grip so their fingers were fully interlocked, and shot Mark a smile, which he returned. Donghyuck thought he finally understood what Doyoung meant about love interests needing to trust each other. Since becoming friends, both of them had been performing better, connecting with their characters deeper, and Donghyuck... Donghyuck wasn't afraid of falling anymore. He was sure that Mark would catch him.

They didn't talk. After a few minutes of calm silence, Doyoung dismissed everyone to get to their starting positions, adding one more, "Remember to be quiet backstage!" before he left with Jisung and Yerim to go to the light booth at the back of the auditorium.

"Mark, I-"

Donghyuck was cut off by a frazzled Taeyong. "Mark, what are you still doing here? Curtain is in two minutes, and you start on stage left! Shoo!"

Mark gave Donghyuck's hand one final squeeze before he slipped away, eyes twinkling with a promise of _later._

Two minutes later, the curtain rose.

  
  
  


 

Mark patted himself on the back for staying focused on his performance while feeling as though he was going to explode every time he looked at Donghyuck. Fortunately, being frustrated and/or completely smitten was very in character for Benedick.

After what simultaneously seemed like several years and a mere second, the curtain closed on the end of Act III to warm applause(and Johnny and Ten’s catcalls), and Taeyong’s voice from the speakers announced a fifteen minute intermission. 

“Oh my god, they actually liked it!” Jaemin beamed, clutching Mark’s arm in excitement as they headed back to the dressing room, careful to stay out of the way of the stage crew members who were busily setting up for the next act. “They clapped for us! They laughed at the jokes!”

“You act as though you’ve never performed before,” Mark laughed. “Shouldn’t you be used to applause?”

Jaemin pouted . “Maybe… But it never stops being exciting!”

Smiling at his friend’s enthusiasm, Mark agreed.

They stopped to chat with Taeyong and Lucas backstage, both crew members congratulating the actors on their performance, and Mark knew he was stalling. He was procrastinating going in to the dressing room, finding Donghyuck, and telling him everything  he hadn't had a chance to earlier.

Five minutes into intermission, Mark and Jaemin entered the dressing room. It wasn't as rowdy as it had been before the show; the boys still laughed and joked as they changed costumes, but the bluetooth speakers were tucked back inside their owner's bag, and the energy in the room was calmer as everyone was focused on the common goal of performing. A quick once-over of the room was enough to tell Mark that a certain honey-skinned boy wasn't there. Mark glanced at the clock; if he hurried, he could get changed and then go find Donghyuck before intermission was over.

Jaemin smirked, nudging Chenle in the ribs and nodding at Mark, who was doing up his buttons with remarkable speed- and surprising accuracy. Chenle, predictably, doubled over in laughter. 

Mark was fully dressed in two minutes flat, which had to be some kind of record, and out the door in a flash.

Barely a minute later, as Jaemin was buttoning his own shirt, the dressing room door opened again, and Donghyuck appeared, already in his costume; he must have changed in the five minutes before Mark and Jaemin made it to the dressing room.

"Have you seen Mark?" Donghyuck asked Jaemin, feigning nonchalance.

"He was here just a minute ago, you just missed him." Jaemin fought back his grin to answer with similar fake indifference. "I think he went to look for you."

"God damnit," Donghyuck muttered, glancing at the clock; there were barely five minutes left of intermission, meaning there were only three minutes left until Taeyong would call places. Without another word, Donghyuck turned and left the dressing room.

Jaemin turned to Chenle, who had watched the exchange with an unconcealed grin. "How did they not run into each other?"

"I have no ide- oh my god, look who it is," Chenle cackled, pointing back to the door, which was swinging shut behind Mark Lee.

"This is just like Noises Off," Jaemin wheezed, bent over with the force of his laughter, “except there’s only one door.”

"Have you guys seen Hyuck?" Mark asked, glancing at the clock- less than two minutes to places.

Chenle and Jaemin were laughing too hard to respond.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Intermission was over, and Mark hadn't seen so much as a hair of Donghyuck's head. It was discouraging to say the least; was Donghyuck avoiding him? Jaemin insisted that that wasn’t the case, but Mark’s resolve was shaking. He needed to talk to Donghyuck soon, or he’d never do it.

Even as the curtain rose and Mark pushed his own problems to the back of his mind, willing himself to focus, his eyes searched for Donghyuck. There he was, exactly where he always was during this scene, on the opposite side of the stage. Their eyes met for only a moment, in which Donghyuck shot him a subtle wink, before Jungwoo spoke his first line, and Mark broke eye contact, fighting a smile. 

After several dramatic monologues that drew more than a few tears from audience members, the other characters exited the stage in various states of degrees of distress. The lighting changed, narrowing to a single spotlight onDonghyuck, collapsed to his knees on the floor, and Mark tentatively reaching out to touch Donghyuck’s shoulder.

“Lady Beatrice, have you wept all this while?” 

“Yea, and I will weep a while longer,” Donghyuck replied haughtily, pushing away Mark’s offered hand and getting to his feet unassisted.

This was comfortable; this was how Mark and Donghyuck found balance, through words and emotions and situations that were not their own. And yet, somehow, as Mark spoke the lines he had said hundreds of times, they rang true in a new way. Could Donghyuck hear the difference as well?

“I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?” _Isn’t it strange, after I spent so long thinking I hated you? That after all the ugly words we threw at each other, I still find you so, so beautiful?_

“As strange as the thing I know not,” was the reply, and the melodic cadence of Donghyuck’s voice was just the slightest bit different; a touch more Donghyuck than it was Beatrice. “It were as possible for me to say I loved nothing so well as you. But believe me not; and yet” the slightest quirk of his lips, “I lie not.”

A mess of contradictions; Donghyuck really was so like Beatrice.

They both allowed themselves the briefest smile, sharing it like a secret from the eyes of the audience, before they continued the scene. The show must go on, after all. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


As always, the performance seemed to go by in the blink of an eye, and before Donghyuck knew it, he was standing in the wings, ready to go onstage for the final scene. As the lights went out on Hendery and Irene, Donghyuck took a deep breath, quickly running through the coming scene in his mind and stepping to the side to be out of the way of the black clad stage hands who were using the few seconds of darkness and applause to switch the scenery.

“Donghyuck,” a voice whispered from right behind him, making him jump and whip his head around to come face to face with Mark, face mostly hidden in the darkness.

“God, Mark, what was that for?” Donghyuck hissed. The applause was dying down; they only had a few seconds at most before the lights would come back up.

“I really like you, Hyuck. Like, a lot.” If Mark had been any further away, Donghyuck wouldn’t have caught the whispered words, but he was so close that his lips brushed the shell of Donghyuck’s ear, making him shiver even before he processed the actual meaning of the words.

“Wait-” The lights came up, the other actors entered the stage, and Donghyuck had no choice but to pull the veil of his costume over his face and follow.

Leave it to Mark Lee to choose the absolute worst time to confess. Donghyuck would have to tease him for that later. _Not romantic at all, calm down,_ he scolded his wildly beating heart.

It took an extraordinary amount of effort to focus on the scene. Donghyuck could feel the warmth in his cheeks, but thankfully the veil hid them for the time being.

“And when I lived, I was your other wife,” Wendy was saying, lifting her own veil to reveal her face, “and when you loved, you were my other husband.”

The audience cheered when Hendery pulled Wendy into his arms, the next few lines barely audible over the noise, and then-

“Soft and fair, friar. Which is Beatrice?” Mark said as the applause died down.

Donghyuck stepped forward and, praying that his blush had faded, removed his veil. “ I answer to that name. What is your will?”

Mark’s eyes were wide and earnest, probably the exact expression that Donghyuck had been unable to see in the darkness backstage. “Do not you love me?”

_Yes,_ everything inside of his screamed. Donghyuck swallowed. “Why, no,” he said, unable to bite back a smile, “no more than reason.”

“Why, then your uncle and the prince and Claudio have been deceived; they swore you did.” Mark’s grin was blinding; he understood. 

“Do not you love me?” Donghyuck countered teasingly.

Mark laughed- a real, full bodied Mark Lee laugh. “Troth, no; no more than reason,” he responded in the same teasing voice. This was nothing like how they’d practiced this scene, but it felt so right, so much more honest.

Donghyuck was grinning now too. “Why, then my cousin Margaret and Ursula are much deceived; for they did swear you did.”

“They swore that you were almost sick for me.”

“They swore that you were well-nigh dead for me.”

With each teasing jab, they moved closer together, the spotlight following them until they stood face to face, center stage.

Luckily, the rest of the cast adapted to the slight changes in the mood of the scene, adding in their own lines with a similar playfulness that had the audience laughing. Donghyuck barely registered that in the background of his consciousness. The rest of his mind was so fully focused on Mark that it was a wonder he managed to recite his own lines.

“- and partly to save your life, for I was told you were in a consumption,” Donghyuck managed through his final line with a smile, a smile that was all Donghyuck, and Mark laughed again.

“Peace! I will stop your mouth,” Mark said, and before Donghyuck knew what was happening, Mark was kissing him.

And, well, that is what it said in the script, but Doyoung hadn’t included that particular stage direction in the blocking(probably to avoid the hissy fit that the Donghyuck of two months ago would have thrown at the prospect of kissing Mark Lee). Mark was supposed to simply cover Donghyuck’s mouth with his hand.

Donghyuck was too frozen with shock to move for a few moments, in which Mark pulled back, looking terrified, as if he expected Donghyuck to slap him. Instead, Donghyuck rolled his eyes fondly and grabbed Mark’s collar to pull him back in.

The crowd was going wild. Donghyuck faintly registered two particularly loud voices belonging to Johnny and Ten screaming their heads off, but he had more important things to focus on, like how he could feel Mark’s smile against his lips, and one of Mark’s hand’s resting on his lower back-

One of the cast members cleared their throat loud enough to be heard over the continuing applause, and Donghyuck pulled back with an annoyed huff. 

“We _will_ be continuing this later,” Donghyuck muttered, low enough for only Mark to hear.

“That works for me,” Mark replied breathlessly.

  
  
  


 

Mark was generally not a particularly spontaneous person, but Donghyuck seemed to be rubbing off on him. Maybe, he thought as he ran off the stage after the curtains closed, hand in hand with a giggling Donghyuck, he could stand to do crazy things more often.

“I would ask ‘what the hell,’” said a tired, exasperated voice, “but I’m not sure I want to know.” 

Mark stopped short, dragging Donghyuck to a standstill, and turned nervously to Doyoung, who had somehow made it down from the light booth in record time. The director was leaning against a wall, fixing them both with a stern gaze. 

“God, I’m going to get so many angry emails from homophobic parents,” Doyoung groaned. “What am I going to do with you two?”

“But Doyoung,” Donghyuck piped up, and he had the nerve to grin impishly, “it’s what Shakespeare would have wanted.”

Doyoung just stared at him for a moment before he leaned his head back and laughed. “You’re right, Donghyuck, This,” he shook his head in disbelief, gesturing to the two of them and their still-linked hands, “whatever it is, is _exactly_ what Shakespeare would have wanted.”

  
  


 

The dressing room was empty, and probably would be for the next ten minutes at least, as all the cast members were still in costume as they greeted their friends and family in the area outside the auditorium. Mark figured Johnny and Ten would understand if he didn’t go out to meet them, but-

“Oh my God, your family isn’t here tonight, are they?” Mark asked in a sudden panic.

Donghyuck burst out laughing, his head thrown back and nearly shut with the force of it. “No, Mark, they’re coming tomorrow. You didn’t just kiss me in front of my mother.”

“Oh thank God,” Mark sighed in relief, “I don’t think that would have been the best first impression.”

“Yeah, definitely not how I would choose to introduce my boyfriend to my parents,” Donghyuck snickered.

Mark’s heart skipped a beat. “Boyfriend?”

Donghyuck froze, eyes widening like a deer caught in the headlights. “Oh, I didn’t- do you not want to be-?”

“No!” Mark nearly shouted. “I mean, yes! Wait, I just-” he took a deep breath. “I meant what I said before. I really like you, Donghyuck. I’m so glad we’ve finally become friends, and, well… I want to be more than that. Will you be my boyfriend?”

Mark barely had time to take a breath before Donghyuck was crashing into him. He automatically circled his arms around the other boy’s waist as Donghyuck threw his arms around Mark’s neck and brought their lips crashing together, hard enough to be just shy of painful.

“So, is that a yes, or…?” Mark pulled away long enough to say.

“Yes, of course,” Donghyuck snapped, fond and exasperated and beautiful, “now shut up and kiss me.” Mark eagerly complied.

Donghyuck’s kisses were very similar to the boy himself; full of contradictions. He was as sweet as he was teasing, as gentle as he was passionate. He teased Mark by nipping lightly at his lower lip, pulling slightly away to make Mark chase him. Mark retaliated by pressing Donghyuck against the makeup counter in front of the mirrors, knocking him off balance enough to give Mark the upper hand. 

It took a few minutes to find their rhythm, learning each other in a new way, learning how they could fit together- not instantly, like puzzle pieces, but gradually, like two stars falling into orbit. Like everything always had when it came to the two of them, it took effort, trial and error on both sides, to reach their perfect middle ground.

But again, like everything always was when it came to Donghyuck, it was worth the effort.

Donghyuck ended up seated on the counter, probably knocking someone’s blush to the ground but neither of them could find it in them to care right now, his legs wrapped around Mark’s waist, hands in Mark’s hair, tugging him closer.

Mark pulled back slightly to look at Donghyuck’s face, cupping his delicate jaw with one hand; his heart-shaped lips were glistening, slightly swollen, his tan cheeks were rosy, and his eyes half-lidded as his lashes fluttered. 

“You’re so gorgeous,” Mark breathed in wonder. Right now, Donghyuck was shining in the same way he always did beneath the spotlight, the beauty of a true performer in their element; but this beauty, this performance was for Mark alone.

“You’re cheesy,” Donghyuck mumbled, voice slightly hoarse but still melodic, using his grip on Mark’s hair to guide their lips back together.

Mark tilted his head to deepen the kiss, and Donghyuck let out a tiny noise, partway between a whimper and a sigh. Somehow, the beauty of that tiny exhale rivaled any music Mark had ever heard, and Mark immediately set to finding exactly how to elicit more sounds from Donghyuck, like learning to play a new instrument- a hum when he ran his tongue across Donghyuck’s bottom lip, a gasp when he lightly bit down, a soft _oh my god_ as he trailed kisses down Donghyuck’s jaw and the golden skin of his neck. Donghyuck was a symphony, a symphony that Mark had the honor of conducting.

None of the boys in the cast ended up going into the changing room that night. They gave their sweatpants and t-shirts up as a lost cause and went home in their costumes.

  
  
  


Performances flew by in a week-long whirlwind of adrenaline and backstage kisses, and before Donghyuck knew it, it was closing night. It was always a bittersweet feeling to finish a show; the joy and pride of completing a job well done mingled with the sadness of letting go of the thing that they had poured their souls into for three whole months. With every scene, every line, Donghyuck was aware that it was the last time- the last time he would say that line, the last time he would hear that cue.

The one thing that closing night always had to look forward to was the announcement of the next show. Doyound had been keeping it a closely-guarded secret for months- he had probably had the scripts hidden away since May- because, in true drama teacher form, he loved the suspense of keeping them all in the dark.

Donghyuck could almost taste the anticipation in the air as they performed the final scene for the last time(Mark hadn’t kissed him on stage again since opening night, as per request of Doyoung, who had, indeed, received several angry emails from homophobic parents). The next few months in the lives of all the cast members, and many in the audience as well, since the musicals generally had much larger casts, would be determined by Doyoung’s announcement.

The cast members took their final bows, several holding back tears as they bid their final goodbye to SM High’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. Donghyuck’s vision blurred, but he smiled through the tears. This show would always hold a special place in his heart. Over the course of three short months, he had grown so much as a person thanks to the people in the cast and crew. Donghyuck knew he would always carry a little piece of Beatrice with him.

The black-clad stage crew members scurried out from the wings, joining the cast as everyone linked hands in one long line across the front of the stage. Mark gripped one of Donghyuck’s hands, Jeno the other, and in unison, the cast and crew of Much Ado About Nothing lifted their joined hands and took one final bow, all together.

The applause echoed off the walls, and Donghyuck grinned; the high of performing really couldn’t be topped.

The lights didn’t dim, nor did the curtain fall as usual. Instead, the spotlight focused on Doyoung, who was striding out from stage left, microphone in hand. 

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” Doyoung began. “I’m Mr. Kim, the drama teacher here at SM High, though I’m sure you all already know that. Pride doesn’t begin to cover what I feel when I think about all that this cast has accomplished. Tackling a Shakespeare piece is an admirable feat already, but these kids did that and more. Truly, Much Ado About Nothing is no longer Shakespeare’s work; this cast has made it their own work of art. Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of watching every single one of these talented artists grow, not only as a performer or technician, but as a person, and the bonds they have made with each other are unbreakable.” Mark gently squeezed Donghyuck’s hand. “It has been my honor to direct this show, and it will be my honor to continue to watch these cast members reach for their full potential-”

“Get to the point, Do!” a voice Donghyuck recognised as Ten’s heckled from the front row.

“Yangyang, go down there and smack him,” Doyoung instructed, expression not altering in the slightest.

“Yes sir!” Yangyang replied, hopping off the stage.

“As I was saying,” Doyoung resumed, “I am excited and happy to announce that this year’s spring musical will be…” everyone held their breaths as Doyoung paused for dramatic effect, “Newsies!”

The tight thread of tension that had been holding the auditorium captive snapped, plunging them all into chaos. 

“Oh my god!” Donghyuck shrieked, “Oh my god, Mark!”

“Newsies! Oh my god!” Mark hollered.

“It’s your favorite show, Mark you must be so excited!” Donghyuck pulled Mark into a tight embrace.

“You remembered that?”

“Of course I did!”

Donghyuck wished he had a camera; Mark’s face was so full of joy, he seemed to be glowing.

  
  
  
  
  


On the first day of the new semester, Mark pushed open the door of Mr. Moon’s choir room- not during lunch, but at the beginning of third period- the period that Mr. Moon held class for the advanced men’s choir.

Really, Mark shouldn’t have been able to join, as he hadn’t auditioned at the beginning of the year, but Mr. Moon had made an exception and held an impromptu audition for Mark the moment Mark had asked if there was a choir class he could transfer in to.

“I’ve wanted you in my program since you were a freshman, Mark,” Mr. Moon had confided as he handed Mark the slip of paper for the requested schedule change. “I think you’ll find yourself at home here easier than you think.”

The room was full of friendly faces, and Mark’s residual nervousness about being alienated as a new addition to the grew immediately melted away as soon as Chenle shrieked his name.

Taking a seat next to Jisung, Mark leafed through his newly-acquired sheet music until a buzz from his pocket interrupted. Mark furtively checked his phone to find a new text notification from a contact name that his boyfriend set for himself:

 

**Beloved Donghyuck <3:**

Have fun! Make sure you work hard so you can join me in chamber choir next year <3

  
  


“That’s so disgusting,” Jisung groaned. “Remind me not to audition for chamber choir next year.”

Mark only grinned, already typing out a response.

 

**sparking markling <3:**

I will

And thank you

**Beloved Donghyuck <3:**

For what?

**sparkling markling <3:**

For believing in me

 

“Alright, boys!” Mr. Moon clapped his hands together, and Mark slid his phone back into his pocket. “Let’s start from measure thirty two.”

  
  
  
  
  


The process was starting all over again. Auditions for Newsies were in two weeks, and Donghyuck was nervous, as always. Life goes on, the same as before.

“That was incredible, babe, seriously. Just sing like that at your audition and you have nothing to be nervous about.”

Well, almost the same as before.

“Thanks, Mark,” Donghyuck said, “but you always think I sound incredible. Maybe I should be practicing with someone who isn’t biased.”

“But you _do_ always sound incredible,” Mark insisted with a pout, and oh god that was too cute to be allowed.

“You’re so sweet,” Donghyuck cooed, pinching Mark’s cheek. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault you’re whipped.”

“I hate you,” Mark grumbled.

“Hate you too, babe,” Donghyuck replied before pulling Mark in for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we go! Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I've enjoyed writing.
> 
> A lot of the characters in this fic represent/parallel characters in William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About nothing, so here's a little character analysis that I wrote while I was figuring out how to work with those parallels. I thought this might be interesting for those of you who are familiar with the play- or even if you aren’t, who knows? If you did notice these parallels, you’re a true intellectual and can join me in the Pretentious Theatre Nerds Club.
> 
> Doyoung: Leonato  
> The most socially powerful figure. All other characters respect and listen to him. Leonato is Hero’s father, as Doyoung is Jeno’s father-figure. I know it was kind of weird to age Doyoung up to be a teacher, but Doyoung is basically Jeno’s dad irl, I had to.  
> Taeyong: Don Pedro:  
> Also socially powerful and well respected, but doesn’t have the same level of authority as Leonato/Doyoung. Liked and respected by everyone, but specifically close with Benedick(Mark). Very invested in his friends’ romantic endeavors, even going so far as to flirt with Hero for Claudio(remember that scene when Taeyong gets Jeno’s number for Jaemin?)  
> Jeno: Hero  
> Classically beautiful and well liked by everyone. In the play, Hero and Beatrice are cousins; I decided to make Jeno and Donghyuck best friends instead. Very close with Beatrice(Donghyuck). Ends up with Claudio(Jaemin) after a lot of heartache. To be honest, she isn’t very interesting, so I took a lot of liberties with the Jeno character.  
> Jaemin: Claudio  
> Good friends with Benedick(Mark), and one of the major players in getting Benedick(Mark) and Beatrice(Donghyuck) together. The whole ‘overhearing conversations about them liking each other’ thing was a plan that Claudio and Don Pedro came up with. Spends most of the time pursuing Hero(Jeno). Honestly, Claudio in the play is kind of a jerk. I made Jaemin a lot less whiny and a lot more likeable.  
> Mark: Benedick  
> Generally well-liked by everyone except Beatrice(Donghyuck). Has a lot of pride, but also a strong moral compass. Works together with Beatrice(Donghyuck) to get Claudio(Jaemin) and Hero(Jeno) together(although the circumstances are very different in the play). Regularly argues and banters with Beatrice, but when she insults him unknowingly to his face at a masquerade ball(remember the Halloween dance?), he is genuinely hurt. His friends trick him into marrying Beatrice by having him ‘overhear’ conversations about her being in love with him. Generally, a good dude with a good heart.  
> Donghyuck: Beatrice  
> Doesn’t conform to societal expectations. Fiercely protective of her cousin, Hero(Jeno). Very witty and sassy, always has a good comeback. Can be quite prideful, but is a good person at the core of it all. She frequently banters with other characters, particularly Benedick(Mark), but doesn’t really want to hurt him. She is tricked into marrying Benedick by ‘overhearing’ conversations about him being in love with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Come yell at me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/see_thevision) or [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nctseethevision/)


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